THE CIVICS Innovation Hub

🤝🏼 How do various forms of exclusion, conflicts, and wars impact attitudes and shape daily life across borders on the continent? This question will headline the start of the second day of the #NECEFestival2024🇦🇱 at the Pyramid of Tirana. 🎙️ Moderated by Anja Troelenberg, panelists Dr. Ofer Waldman, Damir Sagolj, Vlora Rechica, and Oksana Shamonova will explore one of the most pressing issues of our time: division. They will discuss the resilience and ingenuity of those who work tirelessly to overcome exclusion and conflict. ⏳ There’s still time to join us in Tirana and be part of this vital conversation. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eWKWXdpN 🔗 Learn more about NECE Festival here: https://lnkd.in/efyqAwjZ

📢 We are excited to announce the session "Green literacy in Africa and Latin America: Civic education as a climate justice tool" at the upcoming #NECEFestival 2024. In this session, we will look into the importance of climate education in the Global South, with a particular focus on Africa and Latin America. 🌿 With experts from various backgrounds, we will explore how diverse coalitions are formed around green literacy, empowering communities to take action for climate justice. 🌎 Organised in collaboration with the Civic Education Network for Eastern and Southern Africa (CENESA) and the Rede Nacional de Educação Cidadã, this session is a must-attend for anyone interested in climate action and civic empowerment. 📅 Don’t miss out—register now for the #NECEFestival 2024 and be part of this important conversation! 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eWKWXdpN

EPI recently partnered with the International Alumni Center gGmbH (iac Berlin) by the Robert Bosch Stiftung for a meaningful Goerdeler Kolleg for a Good Governance alumni reunion in Sofia with participants from 7 countries. The event featured a lively interaction on enablers and barriers for societal change with Louisa Slavkova, Co-founder & Managing partner at THE CIVICS Innovation Hub and immersed participants into a cross-sectoral topics through the foresight methodology during a workshop led by Mariana Trifonova. The reunion event included also a series of personal reflection sessions excellently facilitated by Anna Dimitrova from Open Space Collective.

Such a pleasure to join the fascinating discussions today between businesses from Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia and THE CIVICS Innovation Hub, in the beautiful city of Gdansk. I presented some of the research from Poles Apart and my own workplace experience in response to the question: how does polarisation impact the private sector generally and within companies? And what are some of the tools that can be harnessed to support de-polarisation? The engagement from business representatives was brilliant and the stories they shared were insightful and thought provoking. Thank you to Martin Kirbach for the invite and to everyone taking part for working together to extend workplace participation 👏

🇦🇱 Joining our DISCOVERIES, participants at the NECE Festival will have the opportunity to get practical insights into the work of Albanian civic educators. We offer a variety of different field trips curated by local CSOs to spaces of civic education in Tirana, with the aim to allow you to experience first-hand how various CSOs in Tirana approach civic education, providing you with learnings, insights and inspiration for your work. Today, we are introducing you to two of these DISCOVERIES: 🚶🏼♀️➡️Memory Walk: Curated by the IDMC - Institute for democracy, Media and Culture, this DISCOVERY will explore the vibrant city of Tirana on a guided walking tour visiting iconic landmarks and places of memory such as the House of Leaves (Museum of Secret Surveillance), the Bunk’Art 2 and the Pyramid of Tirana where you will learn about the communist past of Albania and gain insights into the struggles for freedom, the impact of state surveillance, and the resilience of those who opposed oppression – all in a bid to encourage dialogue and spark conversations on the importance of civic education in helping to remember the past, and learning from history to avoid future injustices. 🗣️ Roma community: The Institute of Romani Culture in Albania (IRCA) will lead participants on a community engagement tour where you will get to know about the main programmes of the IRCA focused on social-economic inclusion and the promotion of Roma culture. On this tour, you will again get to meet young Roma artists and artisans who will share their personal experiences, challenges, and achievements. This includes the opportunity to experience some of the artistic works prepared by the talented young Roma, including Roma folklore and Roma music. 🔗 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/epVer3zQ ⏳ Haven’t registered yet? Do so here: https://lnkd.in/eUnR4RgZ

🌿Regenerative economies focus on strengthening both social and ecological systems, and it’s time for economics education to reflect this shift. In 2023, a movement began to transform economics education in secondary schools, introducing a new paradigm. A Regenerative Economics for Secondary Schools course was developed with flexible, open-access resources for both students and teachers, empowering them to learn about and take action for human and ecological thriving. In collaboration with teachers, researchers, and academics, a new syllabus was co-created to reframe how students understand the economy—from local to global systems. This initiative is a testament to what’s possible when education, sustainability, and collaboration converge. The hope is that these Regenerative Economics materials will spread like wildflowers, taking root and transforming the way young people around the world see and understand economics. Join this webinar by Lead author Jennifer Brandsberg-Engelmann to learn more at: https://lnkd.in/dugyBzyF #RegenerativeEconomics #EducationForChange #SustainableFuture #EconomicsTransformation #FutureLeaders

🗒️ The NECE Festival 2024: BORDERS will commence with an open space for networking, providing a platform for civil society organisations in Tirana and the region to connect with festival participants from across Europe and beyond. There will also be an opportunity to showcase some of the projects and start-ups of our Civic Innovation Fund (CIF). 🤝🏼 This setting offers participants a chance to meet new contacts, explore collaboration opportunities, and learn about different approaches to civic education being implemented by others. 🇦🇱 There is still time to register and join us in Tirana. Link to registration portal here: https://lnkd.in/eUnR4RgZ

🌱 Last week, we officially kicked off our YCP programme and onboarded our second cohort under the theme of RESILIENCE & ADAPTATION! 💪🏻 Nadja Y. Hirsch of the Institute of Climate Sustainability led a talk focused on how to develop mental resilience amidst the ‘climate crises’. Participants explored how to manage emotions, make thoughtful decisions, and embrace personal values like fairness, love, and sustainability in order to build resilience for their climate advocacy journey. 🍃 We also had an insightful workshop on sustainability and climate action, led by Emil Kragh of cirka cph. Here, participants learned practical and innovative ways to teach, inspire, and spark green literacy discourses in their home communities using creative exercises like the ‘Postcard from the Future’ to envision sustainable communities. 💡Closing the day with a project ideation session, participants brainstormed potential ideas and ways they can champion climate awareness and fight climate change in their home communities. ➡️ Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dqQjqrpQ #ClimateAction #Sustainability #Resilience #Changemakers #GreenLiteracy

🌍 As part of #NECEFestival 2024: BORDERS, our first panel discussion on 14 November will critically examine the evolving role of borders and contact zones in shaping contemporary global realities. Moderated by Tanja Murphy-Ilibasic, the session will open with a keynote by renowned political theorist Lea Ypi, offering a rigorous analysis of borders within the context of political, economic, and social transformations. The keynote will be followed by expert-led insights from our focused CUBEs: CUBE 1: The intersection of climate change and environmental literacy, examining the geopolitical implications of ecological borders. CUBE 2: The impact of digital and media literacy in negotiating information borders and influencing public perception. CUBE 3: A critical view on the geographies of division, focusing on diversity, social cohesion, and community-building across fractured spaces. CUBE 4: The complexities of migration regimes, governance frameworks, and their role in reinforcing or contesting border control. Join us and shape this dialogue. 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eWKWXdpN

⛰️ In our 'Navigating the Civic Education Landscape' session at the #NECEFestival: BORDERS, we will draw inspiration from the "Facts & Contexts Matter" project and the "Fakeless" exhibition, organized by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung / Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Goethe-Institut e.V. This session will unite media professionals from East Asia and Southeast Europe to discuss their regions' shared experiences with contested borders and foreign influence. 📸 This will explore the profound impact of new media realities and platform logics on discourse spaces, both online and offline, which have fuelled polarisation in many societies worldwide. By learning from the experiences of other countries, festival participants can adapt and refine their approaches to media literacy in their own contexts, gain insights into global media education approaches and co-create solutions to the obstacles they face in their own work. 📖 Find out more about this session here: https://lnkd.in/eKduGDqp 🔗 Haven’t registered for the festival yet? Do so here: https://lnkd.in/eUnR4RgZ