About the Democratic Odyssey

Rooted in Local and Transnational Democracy: By travelling across Europe, we connect local actions with broader European politics, aiming to bridge the gap between local communities and transnational efforts.

Storytelling and Civic Arts: We start with lived experiences rather than experts, using storytelling, civic arts and Odyssey metaphores to bring these narratives to life.

Agenda Setting for Crisis: As a pilot assembly, we are not focused on specific policy recommendations but on exploring democratic responses to crises, which we call “storms.” Moments of crises create winners and loosers, highlight who holds power, and can be opportunities for more citizen involvement.

A Laboratory for Change: This assembly is an experiment in moving from individual to collective action, aiming to influence democratic practices and aspirations of institutions and of people alike in facing future storms.

Focus on Democratic Practices: We explore how the EU can better engage citizens during crises, addressing challenges like disempowerment, disrespect alienation and anger. We consider past experiences, asking what democratic practices should change, be discarded, or institutionalized to improve Europe’s response.

Addressing Long-Term and Absent Voices: We seek to democratize foresight, balancing present needs with future outcomes, and consider how to include the voices of those absent from current debates, like refugees, non-citizens, non-humans and future generations.

Connecting Beyond Borders: With participants from around 20 countries, we explore how to build transnational connections that empower citizens across Europe, and connect them to each other, beyond just Brussels-led initiatives.