Young Voters Talk:
Across the Pond – Politics, Power, Participation

A trans-Atlantic Online Series on Democracy, Elections, and Social Cohesion

Politicians are being attacked, elections are deemed “rigged”, democratic institutions are called into question, checks and balances seem to cause constant gridlock, and extremists are gaining ground… 2024 looks like an election year on both sides of the pond that doesn’t offer much hope for the future.

The sheer force of challenges to our societies - locally, regionally, and globally, including a rapidly changing climate that threatens our very existence - could lead to despair. Yet, it’s up to us to turn things around. How do we restore the fabric of our societies and revive our democracies to make them fit for the tasks ahead?  

In our trans-Atlantic talk series “Across the Pond”, organized in partnership with Open Embassy for Democracy (OPEM), we will hear two young voters from each side of the Atlantic who share their ideas about how to move forward. What can each one of us do, what does it take to explore new paths? What really works?   

Join us live, online, and for free. And prepare to be called upon.

Next session:

Featured
Virtual Talk: Just a Piece of Paper? Democratic Constitutions - a bulwark against totalitarian regimes or an obstacle to progress?

Constitutions used to be a symbol of national identity. In democracies, they state the principles and ideals that citizens can rally around. But does this still work today? 

Join us as we debate these questions in our trans-Atlantic talk series “Across the Pond” in collaboration with Open Embassy for Democracy (OPEM), with German author and podcast host Hanna Israel and US public historian Shelby Dains.

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Virtual Talk: Ghosted? Democracy and its institutions – too old, too slow, and too out of touch?

Every other member of the US Senate is a millionaire, and 9 out of 10 members of the German Bundestag have spent time at a university at some point; a significant number never worked in a job outside of politics. But would we really fare better without them, and what exactly would an authoritarian society look like that gives up on its institutions?

Join us on August 28th with Missions Publiques co-director Antoine Vergne, and Centre for European Reform chief economist Sander Tordoir. Do our guests succeed in speeding up democratic institutions through their work – or would they rather work around them sometimes…? And most importantly, can they still convince their peers of the importance of democratic institutions? 

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Virtual Talk: Crunch Time: Upcoming elections in the U.S. and Germany - hot topics, cold realities

Join us on September 25th with Franziska Riel, Head of Press and Information, Austrian Embassy, Berlin; and J. Miles Coleman, Associate Editor at The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Curated and moderated by Tobias Endler.

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Later in this Series:

SESSION 5 - October
In the Driver’s Seat: What anyone can do for democracy, about democracy, and with democracy