DEMO.RESET
SUMMIT 2027
DELIBERATION FOR DEMOCRATIC FUTURES
Bogotá, Colombia
June 4 - 5 2027
DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
BIGGER POSIBILITIES.
Demo.Reset is a network that supports organizations and practitioners working to strengthen democracy through innovation and deliberation. With a presence across the Global South, it connects experiences, builds capacities, and creates opportunities for collaboration, amplifying local knowledge and leadership on deliberative democracy.
The Demo.Reset Summit 2027 will bring together practitioners and organizations from different contexts to share lessons, strengthen connections, and explore new ways to make democratic innovation more sustainable. The summit will be built by and for the deliberative democracy community, creating space to deepen ongoing conversations within the network, exchange practices and lessons across contexts, and explore new areas of collaboration.
Questions
we are exploring
The Demo.Reset Summit will bring together contributions around four broad conversations:
THEMATIC AREAS
01
Resilience and continuity in
changing democratic contexts
- How can democratic practices, relationships and capacities survive political, institutional, financial and social change?
- What helps deliberation processes continue beyond electoral cycles, changes in leadership or short-term projects?
02
Democratic design and
contextual adaptation
- How do we adapt deliberative and participatory processes to different political, social, cultural and institutional contexts?
- What can we learn from approaches that have been adapted rather than simply replicated?
03
Capabilities for deliberative democracy
and citizen participation:
- What skills, relationships, organizational capacities and infrastructures are needed to make deliberative democracy possible in practice?
- What do citizens, organizations, facilitators, public institutions and networks need to learn and strengthen for a more participative decision-making process?
04
Narratives, impact and the
public value of deliberatio
- How to communicate the value of deliberation beyond the field itself?
- How to make visible changes in policy, institutions, communities, relationships, trust and democratic capacity without reducing impact to numbers or isolated success stories?
These are starting points, not boxes. If your work connects to democratic innovation in another way, we still want to hear from you.
WHO CAN APPLY?
We welcome contributions from people and organizations working across democratic innovation, participation, deliberation, and related fields, particularly those bringing experiences and perspectives from the Global South.
This call is open to:
• Active members of the Demo.Reset Network.
• Practitioners and facilitators from the Global South.
• Civil society and community-led organizations.
• Activists and social movements.
• Public officials and institutions.
• Researchers and academics.
Not a member yet?
Learn more about the Demo.Reset network
and how to join here!
WHAT COULD YOUR
CONTRIBUTION LOOK LIKE?
We are open to different formats for sharing experiences, testing ideas and exploring questions about deliberative democracy in the Global South.
Whether you want to test a method, exchange experiences with peers, showcase a practice, or imagine new possibilities together, we encourage formats that put participants at the center of the experience.
Experimentation labs
Indicative duration: 90 minutes · Around 20- 30 participants
Hands-on sessions where participants can test a method, explore a tool, work through a challenge, compare experiences or co-design something with others.
Conversation & dialogues
Indicative duration: 75 minutes · Suggested group size: 40–60 participants
Facilitated conversations around a shared question, challenge, or emerging idea. Participants exchange perspectives, compare experiences across contexts, and learn from each otherʼs work.
Practice exhibitions & regional showcases
Open throughout the Summit · Suggested setup: approximately 8 stands, depending on submissions and available space · 5-minute pitches to introduce each showcase
Spaces to share democratic practices through maps, photographs, videos, tools, process materials, stories, artistic interventions or other forms of documentation. Stands remain accessible throughout the conference, allowing participants to explore practices freely and exchange experiences.
Intelligence circles
Indicative duration: 90 minutes · Suggested group size: 15–30 participants
Collective Exploration and Co-Creation spaces to explore complex questions, unpack shared challenges, map ideas, imagine future scenarios, or develop new approaches together. These sessions may use creative exercises, visual mapping, storytelling, or other participatory methods to turn diverse experiences into collective insights and new possibilities for action.
Creative & experimental formats
Indicative duration: 30–60 minutes · Group size: depending on the proposed activity
Have an idea that doesn't fit these categories? Propose your own format. We welcome artistic interventions, participatory installations, simulations, games, performances, and other creative approaches that challenge conventional conference formats and invite participants to engage with deliberative democracy in new ways.
To Keep in mind
when you apply
You donʼt need a fully designed workshop yet; the details will be developed later with selected contributors. For now, keep your proposal concise and include:
Workshop idea: a title and a short summary of the topic or question you want to explore.
Purpose: choose the tag that best describes your workshopʼs main goal.
• Share Insights: evidence, research, and lessons learned.
• Build Capabilities: methods, tools, and practical skills.
• Explore Solutions: challenges, experimentation, and collaborative development.
• Connect & Exchange: peer learning across contexts.
• Question & Debate: critical reflection, tensions, and open questions.
Methodology: the type of workshop and how participants will engage. Review the section above
Participant level: indicate the level of experience expected from the participants.
• Open to All: no prior knowledge needed.
• Some Experience Helpful: some familiarity with the topic or practice.
• Advanced / Specialist: for participants with substantial experience or specialized knowledge.
Relevance: why the topic matters to the deliberative democracy community and what others could learn from your experience.
Proposers: who is submitting the proposal and which organizations are involved.
SUBMIT A PROPOSALHOW WILL PROPOSALS
BE SELECTED?
The Program and Methodology Committee of the Demo.Reset Summit 2027 will review proposals through a collaborative curatorial process, considering both the quality of each proposal and how it fits the overall program.
The criteria are
• Practical and methodological value: the relevance of the approaches, tools, and experiences shared.
• Potential for collective learning: opportunities to exchange knowledge, reflect critically, and generate new insights.
• Thematic relevance: the contribution to advancing deliberative democracy and exploring democratic futures.
• Diversity of contexts and perspectives: representation across regions, institutional settings, and lived experiences.
• Collaboration: proposals co-developed by two or more members or member organizations.
Selected contributors will receive more information about the program and their participation.
