A community of democracy innovators from across the EU.
Meeting each autumn in an offsite, vast botanical park.
Exploring new collaborations and radical ideas to reshape politics.





Our mission

Politics as we know it is too often corrupted by lobbyists, driven by egos, infected with violent language and disconnected from us, the citizens. Our community wants deep change. Using tools like Theory U, mindfulness, empathy theater and more, we‘ve come to the conclusion that our democracies need a new culture of talking and connecting.

Join this new generation of authentic and enthusiastic political pioneers and let's co-create our political future!

OUR ACTIONS

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE COMUNITY

Noemi (Romania)
is a co-founder of Edgeryders and seeks „the good life in an open and collaborative way“. Her network organization is exploring this life in „OpenVillages“ (https://edgeryders.eu/c/openvillage), starting with a location in Brussels and six more planned in the Southern Mediterranean region and in Nepal.

Bianca (Germany
is a candidate for "Demokratie in Bewegung“, a newly founded party in the wake of populism and disengaging established party structures. They are currently headed for the European votes in 2019, starting a campaign that invites half a million Europeans to co-create the party‘s program.

Paul-Marie (France/Spain/UK)
is a postgraduate in data and society at LSE and instigator of Escuela Civica, where he renews perceptions of citizenry.

Bertrand (France)
is facing the inevitable: The decline of humanity, caused by the multitude of crises such as climate change and resource depletion. His organization Adrastia (“from which there is no escape“) helps us prepare for the end „in an honest, responsible and dignified manner“.

Daniele (UK/Belgium/Israel)
is the founder of Iota Labs, where data sciences and AI fuel projects with a political, social or environmental impact. Iota turns abstract theories from political psychology or the history of emotions into computational models - so that human attitudes can be measured, indexed and later simulated over time.


ABOUT THE CAMP

THE NEXT EU STARTS WITH EMPATHY

In a crisis, our natural reaction is to panic and push forward. We‘ve seen a lot of that across the political EU landscape. But for us the profound work starts with a deeper understanding of „the other“. What would it take to see, feel and understand what it is like to be the one we feel most opposed to? Read more


TRANSITION DESIGN

OUR TOOLS AND METHODS

Dualities make for catchy headlines on posters and in the news. We use them, too. When it comes to action though, we embrace complexity and broadness of thought going hand in hand with iterative prototyping. Asking ourselves how we might transform “instead of” and “against” into “yes, and…” Read more

MADE BY


ADVOCATE EUROPE

IDEAS FOR EUROPEAN CHALLENGES

Advocate Europe is an idea challenge for European initiatives and projects realised by MitOst and Liquid Democracy, funded by Stiftung Mercator. It is calling for unconventional and transnational ideas that respond to Europe’s present challenges. It is aimed at civil society actors who are looking for start-up funding and mentoring to implement sustainable ideas in the fields of civic education, arts and culture or democracy and participation.
www.advocate-europe.eu



OPEN STATE

TRANSITION STUDIO

We design innovation camps to push forward the resilient future we need. We've come to believe that lasting change can only be achieved by deep experience in uncommon settings, freed from systemic restraints and framed by fresh methods such as open collaboration, sociocracy and agile innovation. All outcomes we produce are open source and shared freely, so blueprints can spread faster in a world that is in radical transition - by design or by disaster.
www.openstate.cc

WIR BAUEN ZUKUNFT

DEVELOPERS OF NIEKLITZ

www.wirbauenzukunft.de

INSTITUTE FOR MINDFULNESS

& SUSTAINABILITY

www.ifan-berlin.de

International Alumni Center

by Robert Bosch Stiftung

www.boschalumni.net
THE SPACE

53.48827° N / 10.87832° E

The camp happened out of our contexts of everyday life in the inspiring wild botanical gardens and spaces of Wir bauen Zukunft eG. On this experimental ground located between Hamburg and Berlin a community of around 30 people researches and realizes sustainable building, living and learning alternatives.

The 10 hectares used to be a research parc for human-nature-technology interactions which closed three years ago. Newly reopened last year, the space will host a training center of 1000 sqm, a workshop and exhibition space as well as greenhouses. It is also home to an impressive diversity of nature. www.wirbauenzukunft.de

Connect with us if you are interested in any way, whether it is about the past event, support, or pure interest. We'd love to hear from you.

If you are interested in helping us to organize a follow up and want to put your ideas to the test, please let us know briefly who you are and what project you are engaged with. Anja will get back to you shortly.



You would like to boost the camp activities and support our endeavour? Join in as a Partner!