The Timeout Foundation is part of the international DEMOS – Democracy Dialogues project, which supports education for democracy through dialogue. DEMOS encourages people to organise dialogues about democracy, take part in conversations on important societal issues, and contribute to their own communities.
The DEMOS project is a collaboration between three organisations: Fundacja Wspierania Dialogu “Rozmawiajmy” from Poland, Timeout Foundation from Finland and HERMES from Croatia.
The project aims to address challenges identified in all three partner countries: the lack of dialogue, the crisis of democracy, growing social polarization, and difficulties in conflict resolution and communication among people with different opinions and viewpoints.
The main objectives of the DEMOS project are:
- To increase societal dialogue
- Increase dialogue competences of citizens
- Help citizens learn more about democracy in an inspiring and constructive way
- By means of these three aforementioned objectives: Strengthen the culture of democracy
In order to achieve the above mentioned goals we have created the DEMOS material package as a tool for discussing important societal issues in your local area. The DEMOS dialogue method encourages equal encounters and constructive conversations on democracy-related topics.
With the help of this method you can invite people from different backgrounds to gather together and share their experiences about different phenomena as well as listen to others. With the help of the DEMOS Dialogue method you can learn more about yourself, others and democracy. Alongside increasing dialogue skills, the method also aims to encourage participants to get civically engaged in their local communities.
You can get started by reading the DEMOS Dialogue Guide, which provides background information on the topic, introduces the DEMOS dialogue method, and offers practical tools for organising and facilitating your own dialogue.
The materials also include over 70 DEMOS Dialogue Cards, each featuring a theme related to democracy. The cards can be used to facilitate dialogues on a wide range of societal topics.
All materials are available in five languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, Polish, and Croatian.
You can also access the materials on the DEMOS project website.
The materials created during the project are based on a survey conducted between October 2023 and January 2024. The survey explored people’s perceptions of democracy in different European countries. The results from Poland, Croatia, Finland, and other European countries were used to define the topics for the DEMOS dialogue cards. The compiled report provided valuable insights into citizens’ hopes and concerns regarding the current state and future of democracy. You can explore the survey results in more detail here.
Disclaimer: DEMOS project is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.