On Friday, 18 September 2026, the 2nd Citizens Lab was held at Hotel Palace in Belgrade as part of the international project CIVICAct – Civic Activism for Resilient Democracy, organized by the Teachers Union of Serbia, a partner in the CIVICAct project.
A day earlier, on 17 September, the CIVICAct project team also met at Hotel Palace. Partners from Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania and Montenegro exchanged updates on the activities carried out so far, survey results and experiences from the first period of project implementation. They also discussed the next steps, upcoming local activities and partner responsibilities for the next phase of the project.
The Citizens Forward Looking Lab brought together around 40 participants, including representatives of educational institutions, older citizens, young people, students and colleagues from partner organisations in Montenegro, Albania and Bulgaria. The main topic was “The Future of Civic Activism and Democracy in Our Society and the Role of Educational Institutions”, with particular attention to the role of schools, teachers and local communities in strengthening democratic culture and active citizenship.
The Lab was opened by Valentina Ilić, President of the Teachers Union of Serbia, who underlined the importance of education workers taking an active role in processes that strengthen democratic values, social dialogue and cooperation with the community. She also reflected on the results and insights from the 1st Citizens Lab which took place in June.
Following the opening, Borka Višnić presented the main findings of the CIVICAct online survey and the respondents’ views on the challenges to more meaningful citizen participation in democratic processes. This provided a starting point for the discussion, after which the floor was given to young researcher Aleksandar Milovanović from the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory. Together with the participants, he led an interactive discussion on “Social Dialogue, Democracy and Active Citizenship”, linking his research experience with questions and examples raised by the participants themselves. The discussion touched on how citizens perceive their own influence, what encourages or discourages them from taking part, and how open institutions are to hearing their voices.
In the second part of the seminar, Dušanka Ćuruvija, an educator with many years of experience in education, facilitated a discussion covering several topics. Working in groups, participants shared experiences, reflections and views, discussed the obstacles they face and suggested ways of encouraging more active citizen participation in the next 10-15 years in Serbia. Particular attention was given to the role of schools, teachers, students and local communities.
The group work also brought out concrete examples of good practice and achievements to date, as well as recommendations on what could be improved in the future. The discussions showed that there is considerable room for initiative in schools and local communities, but also a need for better information, stronger support and clearer channels through which citizens can see that their participation makes a difference. Participants also shared their views on the Balkan Awards for Civic Activism which the CIVICAct has initiated and discussed what civic achievements could be nominated and recognized.
The Citizens Lab ended in a positive working atmosphere, with many ideas exchanged and different perspectives shared on the same challenges. Participants left with new information, experiences and points for further reflection, as well as suggestions they may be able to apply in their future work in schools, trade unions and local communities.
This activity marks another step in the implementation of CIVICAct and provided an opportunity to discuss, through direct exchange and practical experience, questions that concern us all: how to encourage more active citizenship, how to make institutions more open to dialogue, and what role education can play in that process.
The project is funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), CERV Programme.
