Citizen Engagement Ambassadors Academy: a recap

Having participated in a European Citizens' Panel themselves, the 100 Citizen Engagement Ambassadors spent the day discussing what citizen engagement looks like in their own communities. They also exchanged ideas and inspiration on how to better communicate about initiatives such as the European Citizens' Panels and the Citizens' Engagement Platform, and explored ways to strengthen the Citizen Engagement Ambassadors Network.

The morning started with a look at where the Panels fit in the EU’s democratic process, followed by an overview of what has happened, in practice, to the recommendations from recent citizens’ panels. The programme then covered storytelling for social media, turning participation into local conversations, and a full walk-through of the Citizens’ Engagement Platform, including its ‘Spread the Word’ page and the brand-new Community of Citizen Engagement Ambassadors – a private multilingual forum where the Ambassadors can exchange ideas. 

In the afternoon, the Ambassadors participated in working groups, focusing on two aspects: 

1. Communication: good practices for explaining a Panel to friends or family, identifying new ideas on how to raise awareness about the Citizens’ Panels and the Citizen Engagement Platform, and brainstorming ways to inspire more people to participate.
2. The Citizen Engagement Ambassador Network: how Ambassadors can team up with local actors, what support they still need, and how to make the network stronger going forward. 

Three things stood out by the end of the day: 

• The network doesn't come with a fixed rulebook, but it’s being shaped by the people in it, and everyone can contribute at whatever level suits them. 
• Some tools are now in place to make that easier:
  • The Citizens' Engagement Platform: open to any EU citizen. Post your own ideas, react to others’, or join an event happening at your school, university or local community centre. Available in all EU languages. Video tutorial available here. 
  • The Citizen Engagement Ambassadors' community: where Ambassadors connect with each other, swap experiences and find support. Available in all EU languages. 
  • Europe Direct centres near you: available for local support wherever you are in Europe. 

• More awareness of European Citizens’ Panels and of the Citizen Engagement Platform is needed to improve visibility and facilitate the role of Ambassadors in their communities. 

In case you missed it or would like to rewatch some moments, you can access the recordings of the plenary sessions here: 

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AMBASSADORS' ACADEMY - morning session 

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AMBASSADORS' ACADEMY - closing session 

Want to relive the day? Click here to browse through the event photos, or scan the QR code below. To download the pictures, use the following password: 123456

Please note that this link will expire in 7 days. 

Thank you to everyone who joined, in the room or online, and to all Ambassadors across the network. It’s your questions, ideas, and energy that make this community what it is.

Note: This content was generated using automatic translation and may contain minor errors.