Democracy Academy first edition

About the academy

The Democracy Academy is an annual series of online events meant to boost the civic and political participation of people from various migration backgrounds. It brings together emerging New European leaders with prior civic and political participation experience in a space for training, knowledge-sharing and networking. During the sessions, the participants engage with Democracy Academy Speakers – experienced migrant leaders with proven successes in work related to the themes of the academy.

The participants who complete the academy are better able to maximise their engagement in decision-making processes and to amplify fellow New Europeans’ civic and political participation.

The 2023 academy brought together emerging and established migrant leaders

The first annual Democracy Academy took place in November-December 2023. It included five online sessions dedicated to the issues of participation, evidence-based advocacy, organising for sustainability and resilience, mobilising and campaigning, and participatory decision-making. These topics were selected based on the feedback of migrant leaders previously interviewed for the New Europeans Initiative.

The first academy speakers included:

• Anila Noor, Founder and Managing Director of the New Women Connectors (NWC)
• Razan Ismail, Founder and Managing Director of the Kudwa Association
• Jair Schalkwijk, project leader at IZI Solutions Controle Alt Delete
• Dr Salome Mbugua, Founder and CEO of AkiDwA
• Juliana Santos Wahlgren, Director of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN),
• Yonous Muhammadi, General Director of the Greek Forum of Refugees (GFR)
• Adnan Abdul Ghani, Founder of the Support Group Network (SGN)
• Lucky Khambule, Co-Founded of the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI)
• Noura Benchicar, Director of Formaat

The academy was successfully completed by over 20 participants. They were chosen among other applicants to ensure that the group included individuals of diverse backgrounds based in different EU countries. The participants who successfully engaged in the sessions were issued with certificates of completion. Their feedback at the end of the academy is now used in the planning of the second annual event.

Stay tuned for the 2024 edition

The second annual Democracy Academy will take place in the fall of 2024.

Applications will be opened a little later this year– subscribe to the MPG newsletter to receive news about it.