Online Panel: Building Democracy through Play, Humor, and Grassroots Culture

Written By ZU UK

Online Panel:
Building Democracy through Play, Humor, and Grassroots Culture

Early Insights from Larpocracy, DELIAH, and DemocracyInAction

16 October 2026, Online

In an age marked by rising autocratization, democratic backsliding, gender backlash, and science scepticism, fostering strong democratic skills is more urgent than ever. This panel presents early results from three Horizon Europe projects (Larpocracy, DELIAH, and DemocracyInAction) and explores how innovative arts-based and game-driven methodologies empower individuals and communities to develop key democratic skills such as empathy, critical thinking, dialogue, and civic engagement.

Beyond sharing these initial findings, the discussion will focus on strategies that effectively counter disinformation and exclusion, reinforce resilience against anti-democratic tendencies, and expand the possibilities for inclusive civic participation.

Speakers

  • Sarah L. Bowman (Larpocracy)

  • Sara Brandellero, Kamila Krakowska Rodrigues and Sini Hassinen (DemocracyInAction)

  • Marcos Engelken, Jorge & Carmelo Moreno (DELiAH)

    Moderator: Dennis Riedsma (University of Twente)

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