Festival University – The International Environmental and Climate Court: Water, Announcement of the Results | Photo: Florian Voggeneder

Critical ChangeLab

Using a bottom-up approach that empowers young people to ‘own’ everyday democracy and engage in direct action towards justice-oriented transformations, Critical ChangeLab aims to strengthen democracy in Europe by creating and implementing a flexible model of democratic pedagogy.  

The project supports Platform Europe’s mission of trying and testing alternative ways of educating and empowering young people to become engaged citizens. Together with create your world, Ars Electronica’s youth initiative, the project creates spaces for young people to express their opinions and opportunities for them to work towards change in their immediate environments and develop democratic agency. 

Alongside nine project partners in different European countries, Ars Electronica is designing and implementing Critical ChangeLabs in various learning environments. Ars Electronica also leads the communication of the project focused on sharing and promoting the outcomes and learnings of these activities and implements various programs for young audiences at the Ars Electronica Festival.

Duration: 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2026

Partners (Consortium): University of Oulu (coordinator), Ars Electronica, Trinity College Dublin, Waag Futurelab, University of Barcelona, Kersnikova Institute / Kapelica Gallery, IDIZ – Institute for Social Research in Zagreb, Tactical Tech, European Alternatives, LATRA Innovation Lab

Critical Changelab is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement 101094217. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.