HEROES® is a unique project in Germany that engages young men as peer educators, empowering them to dismantle harmful gender stereotypes and create a reflective and unbiased space for young people to discuss important societal issues.
Programme: The Innovation in Politics Awards
Design-Thinking Reform in the Estonian Public Sector
Estonia’s successful implementation of a design-thinking reform led to user-friendly support measures, process innovation, and the development of new competencies among administration officials.
Hamburger Gründachstrategie (Hamburg’s Green Roof Strategy)
Hamburg implements a comprehensive strategy to green the city’s roofs in order to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, such as increased extreme heat and rainfall events.
Gdynia – Deaf-Friendly City
Gdynia’s comprehensive measures have made it one of the first deaf-friendly cities in Poland, ensuring that residents with special needs can fully participate in, and benefit from, city services.
Madrid Innovation Sandbox
This controlled-testing environment provides safe spaces in which different products, services, and innovative projects can be tested and put into practice, simplifying procedures to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship, thus attracting talent and investments to the city.
Gdynia Dialogue Platform
The Gdynia Dialogue Platform centralises information on city projects and engagement opportunities in an open-source format, allowing residents to participate in consultations both in person and online.
Helsinki Youth Budget – Participatory Budgeting with Youth
The long-running Helsinki Youth Budget engages thousands of young people across the city every year, who propose, negotiate, and vote on ideas for activities and services aimed at 12-17 year-old residents.
Participatory Budgeting in Rybnik
The City of Rybnik uses participatory budgeting to allocate funds to social projects voted on by residents, empowering citizens to shape the direction of their city’s development.
Digital Transformation of Education (EdTech)
The EdTech project aims to transform the Lithuanian education system by fostering a culture of innovation through equipping educational institutions with innovative tools.
Entrepreneurial Kids
This project aims to promote a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation among 350 children aged 6-10 from the City of Lublin through specialist training, workshops, company visits, and a final gala, promoting the city’s economy among project participants.
HackShield in the Class
HackShield in the Class is a free programme that empowers children to protect themselves and others against cybercrime through fun and interactive educational activities, while providing teachers with the necessary tools for preparing their students for a digital future.
4 Day Week Campaign
The 4 Day Week campaign advocates for a shorter working week with no loss of pay, helping workers achieve better working conditions and overall work-life balance.
BRISE-Vienna
This digital platform completely digitises the building-permit process, combining high-tech methods of AI, AR, and 3D building modelling to make the process faster, more efficient, and more transparent, cutting the time it takes to obtain a building permit by up to half.
Sophia Chatbot
Sophia is a digital chatbot that anonymously assists survivors of domestic violence in gathering potential evidence, provides access to resources and support, and continuously evolves to meet the needs of survivors globally.
Ausbildungscampus (Training Campus)
The Ausbildungscampus project is a collaborative effort to support young refugees and other young people in their journey towards vocational training and integration into society.
Kyiv Digital – Public Services and E-Democracy in one App
The Kyiv Digital app provides useful, convenient and up-to-date information and services to residents, including e-petitions and voting on the Public Budget.
Rahvaalgatus.ee
Rahvaalgatus.ee is a digital platform in Estonia that enables citizens to create and discuss citizen-led grassroots initiatives, collect public support, and submit ideas to their local government.
PLACEm
The PLACEm app allows people to participate democratically in community issues by creating digital “places” for public discussion and collaboration.
Digital Participation in Legislation in Latvia
Citizens propose legislative initiatives for consideration by the Latvian Parliament via an online platform, increasing participation and trust in the legislative process.
Wiener Gusto: the new organic brand from the City of Vienna
Wiener Gusto gives citizens an opportunity to consume sustainable, organic, and regional food products from the city’s forests and farmland, increasing Vienna’s food sovereignty and reducing its climate impact.
