ABOUT THE PROJECT
Fit for Participation – Strengthening Democracy in Europe
Democracy is the fundamental structure of our life together in Europe. Fit 4 Democracy brings people of different ages and countries together to reflect, exchange ideas and identify approaches for civic action.
Free participation
Open to interested participants
People of all ages
Young and older people together
Cross-border exchange
Local and international cooperation
Multilingual access
Interpretation and translation tools
THE PROJECT IN EIGHT LANGUAGES
AI avatar video
This AI-generated video shows Carmen Stadelhofer from ILEU e.V. speaking about the project. It is available in eight languages. Select a language below to watch the project video.
OUR UNDERSTANDING OF DEMOCRACY
Democracy rests on three pillars
A functioning democracy is not limited to elections or institutions. It is also reflected in individual attitudes and in the way people interact with one another in everyday life.
01
An individual sense of life
Democratic values shape how individuals think, make decisions and take responsibility for themselves and others.
02
A lived form of social interaction
Democracy becomes tangible through respectful dialogue, participation, cooperation and constructive disagreement.
03
The constitutional basis
Fundamental rights, democratic institutions and the rule of law provide the shared framework for peaceful coexistence.
WHY THE PROJECT MATTERS
Working together in a time of rapid change
We live in a time marked by rapid change in science, politics, technology, education and the environment. These changes affect our societies and cultures and cause uncertainty for many people.
Demographic change, migration and digitalization also significantly alter how people live together. It is therefore especially important to keep a shared, solidaristic and peaceful future in mind.
What can we do, where, when and how?
PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
How the project works
People of all ages come together across local and national borders. The project combines reflection, dialogue, creative development and concrete civic action.
01
Reflect and exchange
Participants explore democratic participation, social change and their own experiences through research and discussion.
02
Develop ideas together
ILEU provides initial impulses, while participants shape the further course of the project and develop their own approaches.
03
Turn ideas into action
Individuals and small groups put ideas into practice locally, internationally, digitally or through in-person cooperation.
ACCESSIBLE ACROSS LANGUAGES
Communication beyond language barriers
English serves as the bridging language, but participation is also possible for people without English skills.
Zoom interpretation channels, the multilingual ViMA-danube platform and additional digital translation tools support communication between participants from different countries.
JOIN THE PROJECT
Open, free and respectful participation
Everyone is welcome to participate, provided their contributions respect the principles of our constitution.
Participation is free
Participation in the project is free and open to interested people.
Constructive debate
Different perspectives are welcome when they are expressed respectfully and contribute to genuine dialogue.
Respectful participation
Hate speech and personal insults will not be tolerated.