This Tuesday marked the start of the international HUB of the European project DIYW-ROAD, hosted and organized by Fundación CIVES. From September 23 to 25, education professionals, experts, and civil society representatives from across Europe are gathering in Madrid to reflect on the role of digital technologies as a space for inclusion, creativity, and democratic participation—while also addressing the inequalities and ethical challenges they raise.
The goal of the event is to create a shared space for exchanging experiences, debating perspectives, and designing joint proposals that tackle both the opportunities and the challenges digitalisation presents in the context of democracy and human rights. Around thirty experts from various European countries are taking part in this initiative.
The first session of the HUB opened with a warm welcome from Edurne Grau, board member of Fundación CIVES, who wished participants a successful stay and fruitful days of debate and reflection. Following this, Paula Alvira Rosende, the Foundation’s coordinator, introduced the schedule and structure of the upcoming sessions, kicking off a series of participatory dynamics designed to foster collective engagement and critical thinking.
On Tuesday, participants began by sharing their own experiences and concerns related to digitalisation. In the coming days, through various sessions, they will also discuss topics such as digitalisation and the environment, identity-building in digital spaces, the relationship between governance and emerging technologies, and examples of good (or improvable) practices, among others.
In this way, Madrid will become, for three days, a European ideas lab where participants can reflect collectively on how digital tools can serve not just as instruments, but as vehicles for advancing democratic rights, equality, participation, and social justice.
A major European dialogue
DIYW-ROAD is a project co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme and coordinated in Spain by Fundación CIVES, in partnership with several European organisations: Arbeitskreis deutscher Bildungsstätten (AdB, Germany), Sozialprofil (Austria), Dinamo (Portugal), Partners Bulgaria Foundation (Bulgaria), and the DARE network – Democracy and Human Rights Education in Europe.
The initiative explores how democratic citizenship, and human rights education can help guide more critical, inclusive, and sustainable pedagogies.
As part of this project, the study “European Youth in the Digital Transformation” has also been published, offering a thorough analysis of how digital transformation is impacting the everyday lives of young people.