THE CIVICS Innovation Hub

Dear followers, We are closing our X account and continuing the conversation on Bluesky (@thecivics.bsky.social). This reflects our commitment to spaces that align with our values: authenticity, inclusion, and free expression. Thank you.

One week left to send in your innovative civic education projects in the framework of: 👇🏼 💻 Media & Digital Literacy (€11K–12K) - gstoo.de/CIF2025_MedLit 💰 Financial & Economic Education (€9K–10K) - gstoo.de/CIF2025_FinLit Deadline: 7 April 2025 (11:59 pm CET)

The NECE Festival thrives thanks to local partnerships that help us create enriching festival experiences for all participants. We are thrilled to announce our partnership with The European Wergeland Centre in Oslo to organise the #NECEFestival2025! 📅 SAVE THE DATE & join us!

🚀 Excited to share the results of another CIF project in cooperation with @K_B_Foundation The project ‘Talking Heads’ by @unhackdemeu is a video chatbot that shows the experiences of 4 individuals within the Bulgarian education system. Try it out here: th.unhackdemocracy.eu

The Digital Storytelling for Peaceful Coexistence project by YSU Center of Innovational Social Research, funded by the Civic Innovation Fund (CIF), has successfully wrapped up! 🎥 Check out the project here: @CISR-2024" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@CISR-2024

📅 SAVE THE DATE! In these times of rising divisions & democratic backsliding, the #NECEFestival2025🇳🇴, taking place from 2-4 September in Oslo, will be centred on HOPE! Read more on our theme here: nece.eu/the-anatomy-of…

🌍 As the global order shifts, Europe faces tough choices. How can we uphold democratic values while adapting to new security realities? 🗓️ Join us on 20 March at 4:30 pm CET for a conversation with @_RafaelLoss, Sven Gerst and @LouisaSlavkova. 🔗 t.ly/ihym-

🌱 Meet another winner of the recent CIF call supported by @porticusglobal – the project “Youth Climate Dialogues” proposed by Generation Climate Europe, which will bring together young people and decision-makers to engage in EU policy, fostering co-creation.

🗣️ Meet our next CIF call winner! ONRA, led by Emmanuel Castrinakis, will implement Isocratic Democracy in Action, fostering intergenerational dialogue on rights, citizenship, and civic education to build more inclusive societies. This CIF call is supported by @porticusglobal

🌱Under the theme GREEN CITIES | Transforming Urban Environments for Sustainability, our YCPs convened in Zagreb earlier this month to complete the programme and co-create 23 youth-led sustainability initiatives! Read more here: thecivics.eu/2025/02/27/ycp… 📸© TC | Mateo Di Giusto

We are launching 2 new Civic Innovation Fund (CIF) calls for civic education startups in transnational partnerships! 💻 Media & Digital Literacy - gstoo.de/CIF2025_MedLit 💰 Financial & Economic Education - gstoo.de/CIF2025_FinLit Apply by 7 April 2025 (11:59 pm CET)

Less than a week left for you to apply to join the 'NECE Lab: Youth participation in democracy' and develop solutions for local political resilience! ⏰ Deadline: 27 February 2025 (11:59pm CET) Apply here: gstoo.de/necelabs2025_y….

Can art bridge physical and psychological borders? In her thought piece for NECE Magazine, Gráinne McMenamin discusses the Cross-Border Creativity project, where young people along the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland used art to bridge divides. t.ly/R3q15

We wrapped up our CIVIC SCOUTS AT WORK at the Transnational Future Lab in Berlin last December. We look forward to scaling up the programme and exploring more innovative ways to further embed democratic values into corporate structures. Learn more here: thecivics.eu/projects/civic….

🎥 We are pleased to introduce our next winner of the recent CIF call supported by @porticusglobal – the Decolonial Film Festival. The festival amplifies marginalised voices, sparks dialogue, and challenges colonial legacies through film.

How can leaders of coastal communities be best equipped to safeguard biodiversity and build resilience? In NECE Magazine, Alba Gomez and Cynthia Castro from @Rare_org share how “Behaviour-centred Design” helps communities adopt sustainable practices. t.ly/2CYf8

🌱 We proudly present another CIF winner supported by @porticusglobal – the project ‘Sustainable Living Assistant App “LIV” by Erikas Marcinkevičius. LIV is an app that helps users understand the environmental impact of their wardrobes through data-driven insights.

Happy to share that CIF, with support from @porticusglobal , has awarded a grant to BeCitizenLab to foster dialogue & reconciliation between Bulgaria & North Macedonia. 🇧🇬🇲🇰 Through youth-led storytelling & a travelling seminar, the project will preserve Holocaust memory.

What if we made a conscious effort to foster a migration discourse beyond fear? As @MaS1banda writes for NECE Magazine, migration is a force for global development. Read more here: 🔗 magazine.nece.eu/borders/ottili… #Migration #GlobalDevelopment

🚨 Are you between 18 - 25 years, connected to, or from a rural/peripheral region in Bulgaria, Germany and Croatia and want to strengthen democracy in your local community? 💡Then apply to join the ‘NECE Lab: Youth participation in democracy’ here: gstoo.de/necelabs2025_y…