People Powered launches the Guide to Digital Participation Platforms
The past decade saw a significant development of digital participation and Civic Tech solutions. During the COVID pandemic, online space became essential for interaction with the public and stakeholders, so the spread of Civic Tech reached its highest point. This pushed existing Civic Tech solutions towards further development and helped new ones emerge.
Yet as Civic Tech became more widespread, gaps in knowledge about it came to light. What is Civic Tech? What processes can it be used in? What are the common obstacles in dealing with it? The available resources and information vary in both quality and completeness. This often confuses or overwhelms anyone looking to explore the topic.
An international community of Public Participation and Digital Engagement experts recognized that this situation is far from ideal. Which is why they set out to create a comprehensive Digital Participation Resource Center that includes Guide to Digital Participation Platforms: When to Use Them, How to Choose and Tips for Maximum Results. This guide provides basic information regarding Civic Tech and also a rating of 27 of the most useful digital platforms from all around the world according to criteria ranging from cost to technical requirements.
The Guide was developed by People Powered with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy and the nonpartisan International Republican Institute. An international Committee of Civic Tech experts that included our Co-Founder and International Director Katya Petrikevich reviewed and rated the platforms amongst which there are some Czech ones! Katya has brought her extensive knowledge of the public participation best practices in the Czech Republic and elsewhere based on the Participation Factory experience in the region and the know-how acquired through continuous monitoring of over 100 Civic Tech solutions in the Czech Republic and the EU.
This Guide, which can be found in its entirety here, was officially launched on February 1st, 2022 during an online event where the participant could hear about the key findings and ask their questions to the authors and Committee of Civic Tech experts.
Are you curious about the guide, our contribution to it or Civic Tech in general? Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@participationfactory.com with any questions related to implementation of Civic Tech and creating a space and infrastructure for meaningful online engagement in your community.