Digital: Future of democracy, effective rights, strong civil society
Project funded by European Union Program on Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV).
EUR 5 Mio. | Interactive, participative, engaging, winning | Capacity building with ↔ 100% funding for NGOs
Given the challenges of the digital age and the shifting political climate, the project “ProEuropeanValuesAT” (PEVA) addresses the urgency of strengthening
- the protection, promotion and awareness-raising of EU values
- the fundamental rights and the rule of law in Europe / Austria
- forward-looking, participatory democratic practices
- through capacity building and networking, workshops, festivals, knowhow sessions, mentoring
- through direct grants to projects selected by independent juries.
The future of democracy will be decided largely in cyberspace, in the highly fragmented digital public sphere
A lot depends on how the values of the EU are emphasized, respected and lived. Social media are powerful forces in shaping Austrian and European Union society in ways that often call into question the democratic functioning of society and the rule of law. Activist organizations can counter the highly emotional and aggressive moods in the information space.
PEVA will build the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) in the digital space and support them with small but low-threshold grants to harness their creativity, commitment to EU values and democratic convictions; expand civic space and strengthen respect for laws and values. Grant sizes depend on proposals and run between € 5.000 – 50.000.
Austrian civil society organizations face major challenges in fulfilling their mandates and executing important tasks. Many are finding it increasingly difficult to secure the necessary funding to develop and carry out their activities independently and effectively. The COVID pandemic, a high inflation rate and the freezing/redistribution of public funding are eroding the basis for civil society organizations.
ProEuropeanValuesAT particularly supports small and grassroots organizations, youth organizations in the digital space, women’s rights groups, NGOs working with migrants and marginalized groups, as well as rural and remote civil society organizations. Direct grants for specific projects aim to make recipient NGOs organizationally stronger and thematically more effective in aligning with EU values.
PEVA will use a co-creation approach to capacity building and especially experiential learning methods under the motto ‘living EU values’. PEVA activities will have a 360-degree gender perspective.
Project start: 1. January 2025 | Project duration: 42 months | There will be three capacity building and funding cycles.
ProEuropeanValuesAT is organized by a consortium has made up of 5 complementary partners:
- Internationales Centrum für Neue Medien, Verein, Salzburg | https://icnm.net | Lead – Digital Democracy
- Respekt.net gemeinnützige GmbH und Verein, Wien | https://www.respekt.net | NGO Grants Admin
- Volkshochschule Salzburg | https://www.volkshochschule.at | Capacity Building
- NPO Austria Verein, Wien | https://www.wu.ac.at/npoaustria | NGO Networking
- Europahaus Verein, Klagenfurt | https://europahaus-klagenfurt.at | European Values
Please share your insights in how to strengthen democracy and European Values in the digital age.
Write to us with insights and/or partnership proposals or further information: puva@icnm.net