Last month, the Participation Hub hosted a gathering of Europe’s leading democracy innovators as the Participation Hub convened its retreat on Narratives & Meaning: Reclaiming the Democratic Imagination. We brought together Ashoka Fellows, civic leaders, and democratic practitioners from all across Europe to work on one question:  

What must society start believing about democracy for today’s solutions to become the norm rather than heroic exceptions?  

Participants explored how public narratives shape trust, participation, institutions, and collective action and how those narratives can be shifted to make democracy more resilient, meaningful, and effective.  

Hosted in some of Prague’s most symbolic civic spaces, from the historic Skautský institut to Fortna overlooking Prague Castle, the retreat combined strategic reflection with community-building. The setting reinforced the retreat’s purpose: democracy thrives when people come together to listen, share ideas and take responsibility.  

What stood out most was the diversity of the Fellows present. They came from journalism, civic organising, youth empowerment, justice reform, deliberative democracy, sustainability, and political leadership. Together, they represent a glimpse into Ashoka’s community of changemakers advancing democracy from multiple angles.

These different approaches to strengthening democracy, showcase that there is no single route to democratic resilience, it happens on working on different layers.  

The Prague retreat made visible what is already existing across Europe: an engaged group of changemakers proving that solutions are out there and that bringing them together is key for collective impact and community building.

Meet the participants

#1 Strengthening Democratic Processes

Some participants focus on improving democracy from within institutions—making governance more transparent, accountable, fair, and trusted. 

  • Petra Šach (Czech Republic), founder of the Institute for Restorative Justice, works to integrate restorative approaches into Czech criminal law and public institutions.  

  • Yves Dejaeghere (Belgium), founder of FIDE Europe, helps governments design high-quality deliberative democratic processes and standards.  

#2 Creating New Pathways for Civic Participation

Another group of participants is expanding democracy by building practical infrastructure that allows citizens to shape decisions directly. 

  • Bernardo Gonçalves (Portugal), founder of MyPolis, enables young people to co-create publicpolicy with local governments.  

  • Michal Horský (Slovakia) of DEMDIS leads citizen dialogues and participatory innovation in Slovakia.  

  • Mikuláš Minář (Czech Republic), founder of Million Moments for Democracy, mobilised citizens at scale to defend democratic accountability.  

  • Jakub Ort (Czech Republic), co-founder of Re-set, rebuilds civic power through labour and community organising.  

#3 Countering Polarization and Disinformation

Another group of participants is working on strengthening democracy’s social foundations by addressing manipulation, distrust, and division. 

  • Eliot Higgins (United Kingdom), founder of Bellingcat, pioneered open-source investigations that expose wrongdoing and strengthen truth and accountability globally.  

  • Jeremy Druker (Czech Republic), through Transitions, supports fact-based journalism and informed democratic discourse across Central and Eastern Europe.  

  • Diana Filimon (Romania), founder of Forum Apulum, uses journalism and education to empower young people with civic values and critical awareness.  

#4 Changemaker-Makers Strengthening Democracy

And lastly, some participants make democracy grow through direct experience: creating spaces where people practice empathy, dialogue, cooperation, and shared responsibility and then pass those behaviours on to others. 

  • Tessy Britton (United Kingdom), founder of Participatory City and We Build Bridges, creates neighbourhood ecosystems where thousands of people build trust through shared practical action.  

  • Kristina Krömer (Germany), founder of metro_polis, transforms trams into spaces for meaningful civic conversation between strangers.  

  • Petra Wünschová (Czech Republic), founder of LOCIKA, empowers children and families through trauma-informed support and long-term resilience.