Join us and shape the FIDE Forum

Europe
Written By Jessica Rojas

November 18-19 | Vienna, Austria

More than a thousand deliberative processes have tackled some of the hardest questions governments struggle to answer alone. The field has grown. The practice has matured. And yet deliberation remains a novelty in most democratic systems, something governments try once and then set aside.

The FIDE Forum 2026 is about changing that. Not by making the case for deliberation one more time. By building the infrastructure, lifting the standards, and creating the political will to make it permanent.

This November, we are bringing together practitioners, public officials, political parties, NGOs, and funders in Vienna for two days of work on what comes next.

Register now
 

INSIDE THE PROGRAM

Participants shape the Forum. Check the open calls below.

  • Plenaries featuring institutional representatives and thought leaders to spark critical conversations.

  • Themed tracks are smaller, profile-based sessions designed to facilitate collaboration and exchange beyond the conference. A place to find the people who share your specific frustrations and ambitions. Tracks: advocacy, process design, facilitation, communications, civil servants, and researchers.

  • Workshops are hands-on. Seventy-five minutes led by fellow participants to work on open problems in the field. Each session is tagged by topic and difficulty so you can choose well.

  • Deep dives go further. Longer blocks of focused work to address some of the field’s toughest questions.

  • Deliberation is a unique opportunity. How many times do we get a remit and time to deliberate? This is a facilitated conversation to deliberate together on the risks and opportunities of our own practice.

Download
 

CALL FOR WORKSHOPS

Deadline: 17 July

Workshops are 75-minute sessions for 15 to 35 participants. A good workshop sharpens the craft: it teaches a method, opens a hard question, or connects people doing the same work in different places.

We are looking for proposals that are intentionally outcome-oriented and show a clear contribution to the field. We will tag each accepted session with a topic and difficulty rating so participants can choose well.

We review applications on a rolling basis and expect more applications than we can accept. Apply early. Questions: workshops@fidemocracy.org

Submit a workshop
 

CALL FOR OPEN TRAINING SESSIONS

Deadline: 17 July

Friday morning is dedicated to capacity building, led by the field itself.

If you have a skill or knowledge you are ready to share, we offer slots for individuals and organizations ready to upskill participants with new techniques and tools.

Submit a training session

Also coming up

Lead Facilitator Masterclass

September 14–16 | Demokrati Garage, Copenhagen

In partnership with We Do Democracy

The heart of any citizens' assembly is what happens in the room. Getting it right takes more than good intentions. The Lead Facilitator Masterclass is a three-day intensive training for practitioners ready to take full responsibility for a deliberative process, from design to the final vote.

If you are already leading processes, this is a place to sharpen your judgment against peers doing the same work, pressure-test your practice against a shared reference, and help define the craft as it takes root across Europe. The cohort is small by design.

To apply, fill out a short form on your facilitation background, your deliberative experience, and the competence domains you most want to develop. We review on a rolling basis. Application deadline: 25 June.

Enroll Now

How it works

The program runs across September in four phases:

  • Online onboarding — September 1, 16:00–17:30 CEST. Meet the cohort, set learning goals, get the prep materials.

  • Homework — Reading, listening, reflecting, case prep.

  • Three-day masterclass in Copenhagen — September 14–16. Hands-on labs on macro and micro design, knowledge curation, group dynamics, team leadership, voting and editor groups, and the practice of spotting a lead facilitator in the room.

  • Online group follow-up — September 28, 16:00–17:30 CEST. Reflect on application, surface obstacles, deepen the cohort.

The curriculum is built around the six competence domains of the Competence Model for Lead Deliberative Facilitators.

Lead instructors: Zakia Elvang (Executive Director, We Do Democracy) and Jacob Birkenhäger (Advisor, Germany). Guest speaker: Yves Dejaeghere (Executive Director, FIDE Europe).

Jessica Rojas
Next

Reimagining Governance: Inside DSG’s First International Exchange