In a time of increasing misinformation and fake news, citizen engagement can be seen as an educational way to engage citizens in decision-making processes and re-establish trust between them and authorities.
This session will present different case studies and will showcase various initiatives aiming at engaging citizens in policy-making or agenda-setting such as Citizen Science and Citizens Assembly. After inspirational talks from our speakers, participants will be invited to experiment in a short citizen assembly and to take part in an interactive debate that will address the nature of such processes and allow for reflection on their benefits and challenges.
Facilitator
Session speakers
Team Leader - Citizen Science
European Commission
Ispra
Italy
Sven Schade leads the Citizen Science team of the European Commission's scientific and knowledge management service, the Joint Research Center (JRC). In this capacity, he also coordinates the Citizen Science work of the Environmental Knowledge Community, an initiative engaging colleagues of different Commission DGs (Environment, Research and Innovation, Climate Action, Agriculture and Eurostat) and the European Environment Agency (EEA). The overarching aim of all of these activities is to integrate citizen science into evidence-based decision making of European policies. It involves pilots and demonstrators in selected policy areas, but also work on improving the supporting policy framework. One major contribution will be Guidelines for Citizen Science for Environmental Monitoring that are scheduled for publication by the EC in early 2020. These experiences can help in the shaping of the session, posing relevant questions to participants, and also stimulate active debates during the 2020 Ecstie Conference.
Researcher and Lecturer in Science Education
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin
Ireland
Dr Joseph Roche is an assistant professor in science education at the School of Education and Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin. His research interests include informal science education and citizen science, and he teaches modules on Science & Society at undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level. Dr Roche will illustrate recent examples of how citizen participation has helped to inform significant policy decisions in Ireland.
International relations and projects
Brussels
Belgium
Carole Paleco is responsible for international relations and European projects at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and involved in several projects and initiatives in Citizen Science developed at the RBINS. She will focus on those tools and games empowering citizens and kids to act as decision-maker and take those decisions that will influence their city and environment for a better or worse...
Project Manager
Ecsite
Brussels
Belgium
Lucie is a Project Assistant at Ecsite, involved in the European project EU-Citizen.Science. This project is supporting the development of citizen science across Europe by creating a central platform for sharing knowledge, initiating action and supporting mutual learning. This platform also supports citizen involvement in policy-making by providing training and networking opportunities aimed at engaging policymakers with Citizen Science.