Over the past years, in various European countries citizens have taken to the streets to show their dissatisfaction with the traditional political establishment. A new culture of protest fed by the use of social networks has spread over Europe. Generally protests are not lead by mainstream civil society organizations. They are (self)coordinated in a very open and horizontal fashion. A new civic enthusiasm appears to have been born in places where citizens have usually been absent from the public sphere. However, given the rather spontaneous nature of the movements and their horizontal coordination, the protests face various challenges. The session aims to identify in a dynamic and interactive way the various types of back-up that civil society organizations can provide for the protest movements.

Facilitator: 

Oana Preda, Executive Director of the Resource Center for Public Participation (RO) 

Oana Preda is one of the founding members of the Resource Center for Public Participation (CeRe), one of the most relevant NGOs in the area of activism and citizens’ participation in Romania. She is now the director of CeRe and is working with public institutions, NGOs and citizens to promote participatory decision-making and good governance. Besides her office time, Oana is a civic activist fighting for many causes relevant for the Romanian society.