The main goal of the DEMOS project was to promote dialogue as an effective method for strengthening democracy, social cohesion, and active citizenship in the face of growing polarisation, misinformation, and democratic fatigue. We aimed to: 1. Enhance the knowledge and practical skills of facilitators (and all people interested) in using dialogue as a tool for civic engagement and conflict resolution. 2. Develop and test an educational program - Democracy Dialogues - based on the experiences and methodologies of three dialogue experts from Croatia, Finland, and Poland. The program was designed to be flexible and applicable in various national contexts, while maintaining shared democratic values. 3. Create user-friendly tools (DEMOS Facilitator’s Guide, DEMOS Cards and DEMOS Package, e.g. scenario and communication materials) to support the delivery of high-quality, inclusive dialogue sessions. 4. Build and support a community of practice by establishing local and international groups of trained facilitators who can continue to lead and promote dialogue in their communities, both in-person and online. 5. Deepen understanding of the challenges facing democracy through research done in the countries involved in the project.
We applied for the Democracy Dialogues (DEMOS) project in response to shared challenges identified in our countries: Croatia, Finland, and Poland, such as the growing lack of dialogue, the deepening crisis of democracy, increasing social polarisation, and the declining capacity for constructive communication and conflict resolution. These issues are exacerbated by a widespread lack of both dialogue-related skills and the motivation to engage in conversations across divides. Many community leaders, activists, and influencers, despite their potential to shape public debate, often lack training in dialogue methods and adopt radical attitudes that can undermine the effectiveness of their efforts. This situation was further intensified by the pandemic, which exposed the vulnerability of our democracies to crises, contributed to the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories, and deepened social divisions in a time of great uncertainty. Additional burdens on democratic systems and social cohesion include climate change, inflation, and the deteriorating economic situation of many individuals. In this context, we saw the DEMOS project as an opportunity to strengthen democracy through dialogue.