Power-to-the-People Webinar “All aboard! – How can citizen assemblies shape our democracies?”

Recordings in all languages:

• EN https://youtu.be/w1_PgAOo5XM
• GR https://youtu.be/8RxRh9bMiMo
• DE https://youtu.be/xIHhYr7BoTE
• FR https://youtu.be/cSGNLReLqh4
• IT https://youtu.be/Yk-nCdco-h8
• PT https://youtu.be/iMYjBaQw8MM
• BG https://youtu.be/-8wML_i4yW8
• LT https://youtu.be/g679n4Kd464
• PL https://youtu.be/-WO1vWbOdTM
• CZ https://youtu.be/Dm3urx1XhPY

Dear friends,

This September, history will be made. Two hundred randomly selected Europeans will gather in Athens for the first session of the European Peoples’ Assembly. Not as a one-off democratic balloon soon to burst, but as a permanent institution to ensure the people always have a place at the decision table. Prepared, but not predetermined, by the broad “Democratic Odyssey” coalition.

But what makes this permanent European Peoples’ Assembly so special?

What can we learn from assemblies past and present about their impact on deciding on issues that drive societies to the breaking points? In turbulent times, we call on the people to come aboard and embark on a democratic journey of exploration along these questions in this next “Power to the People to the People” webinar (watch all previous episodes here).

When? – Thursday, 12 September 2024, 1900 – 2100 CEST

Explore with us the assemblies past and present and discuss with citizens who have been assembly participants, scientists and political decision makers about the power of citizens in shaping our democracies! We will present to you the ambition of the Democratic Odyssey, a uniquely designed transnational people’s assembly, which will start on the 27th of September in Athens.

Our speakers are:

• Art O’Leary, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission of Ireland who has organized the Ireland’s assembly on abortion rights
• Professor Kalypso Nicolaidis, Chair in Global Affairs at the Florence School of Transnational Governance and co-lead of the Democratic Odyssey project
• Niccolo Milanese, founding director of European Alternatives, a civil society organisation promoting democracy, equality and culture beyond the nation state
• Sarah Händel, Board member of Mehr Demokratie e.V., one of Germany’s leading NGOs for deliberative democracy
• Brett Hennig, Co-founder and director of the Sortition Foundation, campaigning to institute the use of democratic lotteries (also called sortition) in government
• Alexiane Terrochaire – – Barbançon, Executive Board Member of the Young European Federalists (JEF Europe)
• Yves Dejaeghere, Executive Director of Federation for Innovation in Democracy Europe, Member of the G1000 Board, which is committed to democratic innovation in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.
• Alex Lockwood, Extinction Rebellion and Animal Rising
• Stephanie Hartung, Germany’s national citizens’ representative at the EU Future Conference, co-founder of Pulse of Europe e.V.
• Members of the European Parliament, Daniel Freund und Helmut Scholz

The event will be simultaneously interpreted into: English, German, Greek, Italian, French, Czech, Portuguese, Polish, Lithuanian and Bulgarian.

You are welcome to join us and invite others on this journey.

The Power to the People Group

A cooperation between European Alternatives, European University Institute, Europe Calling, Mehr Demokratie, Another Europe is Possible, Citizens Takeover Europe, ECI Campaign and The Democratic Odyssey