Media initiative of the Year

  • EAVI developed and produced a series of short audiovisual products about media literacy and the everyday use we make of media devices such as tablets and smartphones. EAVI is an independent, non-profit international association based in Brussels, which encompasses passion for the media and the people with sound knowledge of media literacy.

 

  • Comics for Equality uses the innovative and attractive educational tools of comics produced by second generation of migrants and migrants to foster intercultural dialogue and promote a plural society, respecting and enhancing diversity among young people in Europe. In this way, the point of view of migrants themselves is disseminated among young people promoting empathy and inclusiveness.

 

  • Liceulice project was launched (2010) by a coalition of civil associations and individuals. The core activity is publishing the street-magazine Liceulice (25 issues; over 80 000 copies) devoted to social topics, democratic values, social inclusion promotion, civil society empowerment and advocating for a social change; and magazine distribution through the sellers network, consisted of marginalised groups’ members.

 

  • VoxEurop is a not-for-profit multilingual European news and debate website. It took over Presseurop.eu in May 2014, when it was shut after the EU subsidy ended. VoxEurop is run by a team of volunteer professional journalists and translators. It has a unique feature: citizen involvement by means of discussion, article proposals, and comment translation.

Personality of the Year

  • Lorraine McIlrath has worked at NUI Galway for a decade and within that time she has successfully enabled the development of a civic engagement and practice across NUI Galway giving thousands of students annually an opportunity to be involved in community and civic activities. In addition, she has secured funding nationally and at a European level to support the ongoing development of civic engagement in Ireland.

 

  • Marsida Bandilli mirrors the model of a young person who is fond of the idea that leadership starts with the ability to talk the language, and empower young people. Through becoming a mentor for international volunteers in Beyond Barriers organization, she was able to easily learn about cultural differences, and use these perceptions to inspire many young people for playing an active and vital role into society.

 

  • Bojana Golubović. For the past year, Bojana, as a teacher of philosophy and a debate trainer has been locally engaged in raising awareness of the problem of violence among youngsters. Opening the path of various methodology aiming towards resolving this issue and advocating the popularisation of science with other teachers and students, she has opened the new chapter in everyday teaching.

 

  • Aleksandra Davidovska (known online as Helga Rubinstein) has left her work and almost left her home since May 2015 to dedicate her entire energy, time, connections and money to support the refugees and asylum seekers that cross in the FYR of Macedonia every day. More than 1000 people from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq etc. cross the Balkans each day facing many degrading situations that step on their modest dignity as human beings.

NGO of the Year

  • Ministarstvo prostora is a Serbian non-governmental organisation promoting “the right to the city” and fostering citizens’ participation in urban development and urban resources management. Among its key activities, they launched the Ne da(vi)mo beograd initiative, mobilising thousands of citizens against the “Belgrade Waterfront” project.

 

  • In Loco is a non-profit private association. Among its thematic areas of activity, we enhance the promotion of the Participatory Budgeting initiative, a new model of democratic governance, developed mostly at municipal level, within which citizens can decide how to spend a part of the money available for public investment.

 

  • Youthnet Hellas is a non-governmental organisation that aims to engage young people at different levels through innovative activities. It aims to promote young people’s active participation, information, social inclusion and active citizenship in community life. The organisation is innovative in the sense that it is « all-online’ and thus environment-friendly, not using any office.

 

  • Hungarian Helsinki Committee. Since its founding in 1989, the HHC has acquired a strong reputation of professionalism and credibility. The HHC’s main areas of activities are centred on protecting the rights of asylum-seekers and other foreigners in need of international protection. It is the only refugee-assisting civil society organisation that is regularly invited to train state authorities and judges in various countries.

Citizens' campaign of the Year

  • Yes Equality – the campaign for civil marriage equality in Ireland was a coming together of three NGO to work collectively for a Yes vote in the marriage referendum organised by the government in March 2015. The challenge was to engage people, particularly young people to the extent that they would see that their vote was crucial to the exercise of democracy.

 

  • #vorreiprendereiltreno is initially a hashtag used to reply to former Italian Education Minister who tweeted about the comfort of high speed trains. Denouncing the lack of accessibility for disabled people in trains, the campaign aims at increasing awareness among people and decision makers of the difficulties people with reduced mobility face when completing even the most basic daily activities.

 

  • eu2014.at. The Youth NGO JEF Austria and Europe Direct Austria launched the EP election campaign eu2014.at and fed the featured blog last year before the elections to the European Parliament 2014. It was set up completely as a peer-to-peer platform for young electives and prime electives. The campaign established a network in which the structured dialogue with young people develops and grows.

 

  • The « 100 thousand against the internet tax” was a campaign that was launched to prevent the government of Hungary to implement the proposed internet-tax. The movement managed to achieve this via creating a primarily online community and complimenting this with an extremely strong street presence, making this the biggest demonstration in the modern history of Hungary.

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In view of its tenth anniversary in 2015, the European Civic Forum launched the European Democratic Citizenship Awards, aimed at promoting citizens’ engagement. The 2015 edition will take place in the light of the 10thanniversary activities, in October in Strasbourg.

Since 2014, these Awards are rewarding outstanding initiatives and civil society stakeholders, who bring in a real democratic citizenship with an innovative dimension and with a concrete impact on their communities’ life, be it at the local, regional, national or European level.

The European Civic Forum defends the notion of a European democratic citizenship based upon the vision of the Council of Europe, which implies a process of ownership and a feeling of belonging.

To do so, four categories of initiatives illustrate this concept of democratic citizenship:

  1. The “Citizens’ campaign of the year” Award aims at supporting raising-awareness or advocacy campaigns which occurred in 2014, with a strong impact on community’s life or on public decisions;
  2. The “NGO of the year” Award recompenses organisations which made a significant action towards the promotion of European values;
  3. The “Personality of the year” Award is given to individuals who had an outstanding contribution to democratic life and to the development of a community or a cause;
  4. The “Media initiative of the year” Award, rewarding participatory initiatives by, for and with citizens who played an active part in reinforcing participation, relaying information and developing the civic space. A particular attention will be paid to initiatives promoting freedom of expression and freedom of media.

An international Jury selected four nominees for each categories, following precise rules of procedure and clear selection criteria.

Here you can find the detailed description for each candidate within the four categories. This is where your participation counts. You are now invited to choose your favorite candidate in each category and so give them a chance to be our 2015 Laureates.