Too much energy is wasted on strategies that never affect real life decisions in governance. The democracy lab solves it through collective wisdom and visualizing changes. Be it sustainable development or equality issues, democracy lab serves as an A-Team: designs processes, prototypes solutions, educates the public. How? By creating user-friendly tools such as progress barometers, inspiring co-creation methods, visualizing inter-connections of wicked problems, data analyses causes and effects.
First in Estonia, then we take Europe!
We can initiate new projects and propose great ideas as much as we want, but its fruitless if its not being enabled by governance and common sense. The change-makers network visualizing and interpreting societal challenges helps to reshape present governance models and to innovate public sector.
Process-oriented prototype for democratic renewal, ready for scale-ups in other countries and European-wide. First we prototype this process-oriented approach in e-Estonia, then will scale it up to the European level by connecting existing organizations and change-makers working on wicked problems.
Coordinating the democracy lab network has started already, along with the collective “mandate” to collaborate in the name of democratic renewal in Estonia. During 2018 the networks focuses on the topic of public space creation and use. By the end of 2018 the prototype of the network approach should be ready for scale-ups. We follow agile development principles in democratic renewal. The network will be open to newcomers, with minimum requirements for joining.
I strongly believe that more equal and inclusive societies are possible. Every day I perceive the unused potential of trustworthy collaboration and dialogues in arranging state and local issues, in creating enabling and inspiring environment for every person´s safety and happiness.
For the public sector and civic society, to use the scarce human resources smartly, to fill the gap of e-democracy in the image of e-Estonia.
For aware citizens knowing their rights and responsibilities in a networked society.
For promoting everyday democracy in Eastern Europe and beyond.
Is our approach needed or practiced elsewhere?
How to communicate that kind of process-driven work? How to get journalists on board?
How to keep the focus on systemic change, keep the big and long-term picture, prioritize well?