Project description
Building trust through youth participation and democratic innovation
Pressing societal challenges require more inclusive and participatory approaches to democratic decision-making. The EU-funded CITADEL project addresses this need by empowering young people (15–29), educators and policymakers to co-create innovative policy solutions through regional policy labs. Bringing together youth and local stakeholders, the project strengthens civic participation, civic education, democratic competences and political agency while promoting the inclusion of marginalised groups. By combining formal and non-formal learning, citizen science and participatory governance, the project aims to pilot democratic innovations in real-world settings. Using a structured and evidence-based approach adapted to local contexts and needs, CITADEL aims to build more resilient, participatory and trusted democratic systems, ultimately strengthening public trust in institutions.
Objective
CITADEL (CITizenship And DEmocracy through policy Labs) aims to empower youth, educators, and policymakers to co-create democratic solutions for urgent societal challenges like climate change, public health, and environmental transitions. Through regional Policy Labs, youth (ages 15–29) works with local stakeholders to design, test, and prototype policy solutions, fostering democratic participation and civic knowledge.
The project focuses on inclusive democratic co-creation, engaging marginalized and disadvantaged youth to develop civic competences, political agency, and intercultural understanding. CITADEL integrates formal and non-formal learning, utilizing citizen science, participatory governance, and action-oriented pedagogies. Each regional lab is focused on a specific societal challenge but operates within a shared framework of civic education.
Guided by Theory of Change (ToC), CITADEL transforms input from youth, local authorities, and educators into tangible democratic innovations. Using a maturity model, the project tailors approaches to regional needs, capacity and readiness for democratic decision-making.
Inclusivity is central to CITADEL, addressing barriers faced by marginalized groups (gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status). Ethical oversight ensures fairness, transparency, and equal opportunities for all participants. Participatory assessments and justice-oriented evaluation tools support both the empowerment of participants and the deepening of civic education outcomes. Additionally, CITADEL ensures that spaces for dialogue and co-creation are 'safe-to-brave', where youth can take risks, express diverse opinions, and engage in difficult conversations without fear of discrimination or retaliation.
By engaging local governments, CITADEL pilots policies in real-world contexts, refines strategies for scaling democratic innovations, and fosters more participatory and resilient democratic systems, ultimately rebuilding trust in institutions.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences educational sciences didactics
- social sciences sociology governance
- social sciences sociology anthropology ethnology
- social sciences political sciences government systems democracy
- social sciences political sciences political policies civil society
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.2 - Culture, creativity and inclusive society
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.2.1 - Democracy and Governance
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL2-2025-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3590 Diepenbeek
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.