Building Bridges EU - Berlin

On 24 January 2025, the Citizens’  Assembly in Berlin took place. It focused on the physical and symbolic walls of past and present Europe. In a cross-cultural setting, with participants joining from all partner countries, we identified barriers to participation, followed by the democratic tools and instruments available for people to overcome those barriers, using motivational story-telling from activists and hands-on, interactive learning. 

The first workshop focused on exploring the concept of bridges and walls, identifying what are the walls (challenges) that hinder citizens’ participation. 

Then, two panels presented possibilities of participation:

One focused on a hands-on session on ECIs (European Citizens’ Initiatives), its process, implications, and challenges. The second focused on alternative and creative ways to participation. Marcella Nery, project coordinator at Delibera Brasil, join the assembly to present her work in  empowering local citizens in Bujaru by organising citizens' assemblies. The presentation was followed by a screening a mini-documentary reporting the story of Bujaru Citizen’ Assembly. 

After building knowlegde on innovative instruments of participation, a last participatory workshop focused on  collectively identifying the bridges (tools and opportunities) that can be used to overcome the challenges identified in the first workshop. 

The outcomes and participants’ recommendations collected are shared with the European Commision.