Across three distinct routes—from a drifting boat residency through the canals of France to a cycling expedition connecting Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest—participants engage in a rich tapestry of experiences. These include water quality testing, participatory artistic interventions, storytelling, and hands-on workshops on the rights of nature. 

Strategically woven into Europe’s cultural calendar, Rivers of Democracy connects with major festivals such as Fluctuations, Sziget, and Wiener Festwochen. More than a journey, the project is an invitation: to see rivers not just as natural resources, but as collective lifelines, spaces where culture, ecology, and democracy converge.
By traveling together, creating together, and learning from the rhythms of water, Rivers of Democracy seeks to inspire new forms of belonging, responsibility, and shared futures.

Rivers of Democracy 2026 Applications open · Deadline 17 May

Register

What are the routes and dates? 

The project consists of three distinct journeys across Europe. Each route explores a different dimension of rivers, as spiritual, artistic, and political spaces, while sharing a common thread: to experience democracy as something lived, practiced, and reimagined.

REGISTER HERE (deadline for applications 17th of May)

Rivers of Democracy x Wiener Festwochen (Vienna, Austria)

Dates: 18–21 June (Stationary Residency)
Location: Vienna, along the Danube

This year, the Wiener Festwochen turns its gaze toward religion, not only as an institutional force, but as a system of meaning-making that shapes how we relate to each other, to power, to collective life and to the natural world. Within this frame, Rivers of Democracy opens a space to ask:

What does it mean to believe in a river? What forms of cosmology once flowed through Europe’s waters—and what political worlds did they sustain? What if democracy itself is a belief system, and what if we need to reimagine it in ecological terms?

Across Europe, rivers have long been sites of life, myth, and governance.

Before dominant religious and political systems took hold, much of Europe’s pagan cosmologies understood rivers as living beings, entities with spirit, agency, and voice. These were not just symbolic beliefs; they structured how communities related to land, water, and each other. To harm a river was to break a relationship.

Over time, these ways of knowing were displaced. Nature was transformed into something to dominate, first through religious hierarchies that placed humans above it, and later through modern systems that framed land and water as resources to be owned, managed, and extracted.

Today, we live within another powerful belief system: capitalism, with its own rituals (consumption), values (growth), and invisible moral order. Within it, rivers are rarely seen as subjects of rights or participants in decision-making, but as assets within an economy.

This raises a fundamental question: Who gets to decide the fate of a river?

This residency invites participants to critically, artistically, poetically, theatrically, collectively explore how we understand rivers.

The Residency Experience

We are looking for 4–5 participants to join a 4-day immersive residency in Vienna, hosted on the Badeschiff as part of the Wiener Festwochen.

Together, you will:

• Design and facilitate two participatory public events within the festival on the boat
• Experiment with formats that blend assembly, ritual, performance, and dialogue
• Engage audiences in questions of ecology, cosmologies, and democratic transformation

The residency will culminate with a collective final swim in the Danube, to reclaim the river.

Who We’re Looking For

We are inviting people who are interested in rethinking democracy at its edges:

• Artists and performers
• Activists and organizers
• Researchers and thinkers
• Facilitators and community builders
• People working with mythology, storytelling and alternative ways of relating to nature

You don’t need to fit neatly into one category. What matters is your willingness to:

• Question dominant systems
• Engage with others across disciplines
• Contribute to a shared process of exploration and creation

Rivers of Democracy x Fluctuations Festival / Urban Boat (Northern France)

Dates: 3–10 July (TBC)
Route: Compiègne → Noyon → Péronne → Douai → Lille

This journey unfolds in collaboration with the Fluctuations Festival, a travelling festival along Europe’s rivers. At its heart is the Urban Boat: a traveling, floating platform that hosts artists, researchers, and cultural practitioners. More than a vessel, it is a moving space for creation, drifting through waterways while generating encounters, performances, and conversations along the way.

Within Rivers of Democracy, this boat becomes a temporary home, studio, and stage, a place to live, think, and create with the river. And if rivers were archives, what do they hold?

Beneath their surfaces lie histories of trade, extraction, migration, industry, and resistance, but also quieter, often invisible layers: forgotten ecologies, erased relationships, submerged imaginaries.

This residency invites participants to explore:

• What is hidden in Europe’s rivers?
• What stories have been silenced, diverted, or buried?
• What moves with the river, and what has been left behind?

At the same time, the journey foregrounds movement:

• What does it mean to move with water, rather than across it?
• How does slowness reshape perception, attention, and relation?
• Can drifting become a democratic practice—one that resists control, linearity, and extraction?

The Residency Experience

Participants will embark on a 6-day boat residency, traveling slowly through northern France’s canal systems, from Compiègne to Lille.

Living together on the water, the group will move through changing landscapes, towns, and communities, engaging with the river as a co-creator.

Participants are invited to develop micro-actions, gestures, dialogues and interventions that respond to the river and its contexts. These can be:

• Participatory (involving local communities in democratic dialogue along the route where possible)
• Performative (rituals, processions, embodied practices)
• Visual or spatial (installations, ephemeral works)
• Narrative (storytelling, sound, oral histories)

Rather than producing finished works, the focus is on process, responsiveness, and encounter.

Key Moments Along the Route

• Compiègne (Departure): A collective “funeral” performance, a moment to mourn what has been lost in our relationship with rivers, including rivers themselves.
• Along the journey: A series of micro-events and interventions in different stops (Noyon, Péronne, Douai), engaging local contexts and communities.
• Lille (Arrival): An open-format showcase as part of the Fluctuations Festival, sharing processes, fragments, and reflections developed along the journey.

Who We’re Looking For

We are looking for a small, diverse crew to join this floating residency, bringing together artistic, facilitation, and practical capacities.

This includes:

• Artists and cultural practitioners (performance, visual arts, sound, writing, hybrid forms)
• Facilitators and community practitioners (able to hold space, guide collective processes, and engage participants and publics)
• Project managers / coordinators (to support the flow of the journey, logistics, and on-the-ground organisation)
• Photographers / videographers / storytellers (to document and translate the experience into compelling narratives)
• Practically-minded people (hands-on, adaptable, comfortable with shared living, and able to support the day-to-day life on the boat)

Rivers of Democracy x Sziget Festival (Austria, Slovakia and Hungary)

Dates: 5–11 August
Route: Vienna → Bratislava → Győr → Esztergom → Budapest

Sziget Festival is one of Europe’s largest cultural gatherings, a temporary city of music, art, and ideas, built on an island in the Danube. Each year, thousands come to celebrate.

The Danube is not just a river—it is a political body.

It flows across ten countries, connecting histories, economies, and ecosystems that do not always align. What happens upstream shapes what is possible downstream. Decisions made in one place ripple across borders.

Few places make this more visible than the Gabčíkovo Dam.

Originally conceived as a joint project between Hungary and Czechoslovakia during the socialist era, the dam was meant to produce energy, regulate flooding, and modernize the river. But as construction progressed, opposition grew—especially in Hungary, where concerns about ecological damage, water diversion, and the destruction of wetlands sparked one of the region’s first major environmental movements.

In 1989, Hungary suspended and eventually abandoned its part of the project. In response, Czechoslovakia (and later Slovakia) unilaterally diverted the Danube and completed the dam on its own territory.

What followed was not just an environmental dispute—but a democratic and legal conflict between nations. The case went to the International Court of Justice, which ruled in 1997 that both sides had failed to uphold their agreements, leaving a complex legacy of shared responsibility, unresolved tensions, and partial cooperation.

Today, the river still flows—but altered.
Ecosystems have shifted.
Water no longer follows its historical course.

The Residency Experience

This is not a typical residency. For four to six days, you will cycle along the Danube from Bratislava to Budapest, crossing borders, following the river, and experiencing its changing landscapes and realities up close. You will be the leaders guiding a group of people that are also coming to Sziget festival by bicycle.

Each day unfolds as a combination of:

• Physical movement (cycling along the river, approximately 3 hours per day)
• Collective inquiry (water testing, conversations, local encounters)
• Shared decision-making (adapting the route, rhythm, and focus as a group)

You will travel light, stay in different locations along the way, and navigate the practicalities of the journey together.

As a group, you will:

• Gather stories, tensions, and perspectives from the river
• Explore questions around ecology, borders, and democracy
• Reflect on what you are experiencing in real time
• Begin shaping how this journey will be shared with others

The residency culminates at the Sziget Festival, with free tickets included.

There, you will step into a different role:
not just participants, but hosts, facilitators, and storytellers.

Together, you will design and deliver a workshop that brings the journey into the festival space.

Who We’re Looking For

We are looking for people ready to take on an active, co-leading role in this journey.

You might be:

• An activist or organiser
• A researcher or student
• An artist or storyteller
• A facilitator or community practitioner
• Or someone with a strong curiosity and willingness to engage

No single profile is required—but some things matter:

• You are comfortable cycling long distances over multiple days
• You are open to shared responsibility and group decision-making
• You are willing to step into visibility and leadership throughout the journey
• You are curious about how democracy can be practiced across borders and ecosystems

Rivers of Democracy 2026

Flow with us.
Shape the river.

Three routes across Europe. Vienna, Northern France, the Danube. Democracy as something lived, practiced, reimagined.

Register here

Deadline: 17 May 2026

What we offer

Participants in Rivers of Democracy join a unique transnational journey at the intersection of art, ecology, and democratic experimentation.

We provide:

• Travel to and from the starting/ending points of each route
• Accommodation throughout the journey
• Food and basic living costs during the programme
• A platform to co-create and present work within major European festivals (Sziget Festival, Fluctuations Festival, and Wiener Festwochen)
• A unique environment for interdisciplinary exchange and experimentation
• The opportunity to be part of an international network of practitioners working at the intersection of art, ecology, and democracy

What Is Expected from Participants

We are looking for people who are willing to actively contribute to both the journey and the group.

Participants are expected to:

• Take part in a preparatory online meeting(s) before the route
  • Get to know the group
  • Co-design ideas, contributions, or formats for the journey and final outputs
• Contribute to the collective experience during the route, which may include:
  • Co-creating artistic, participatory, or research-based activities
  • Supporting facilitation, documentation, or logistics (depending on your role)
  • Engaging with local contexts and participants along the way
• Be open to shared responsibility:
  • Living and working closely with others
  • Adapting to changing conditions
  • Participating in group decision-making
• Take part in the final public moment of the route:
  • A presentation, workshop, performance, or other format within a festival context

Selection Process

• 4 to 5 participants will be selected per route
• Selection will be confirmed by mid-May
• All core costs are covered, including travel (within Europe), accommodation, food

Selection criteria:

• Ideally one local participant per route
• Ensuring a common working language among selected participants
• Striving for a balanced mix of profiles on each route
• Flights will only be covered within Europe
• No age preference

We are not just selecting profiles, we are composing small, complementary groups that can work, live, and create together.

We are committed to building diverse and inclusive groups, and we strongly encourage applications from people of different backgrounds, experiences, and identities who are often underrepresented in artistic, ecological, and civic spaces.

REGISTER HERE

Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions: i.alonso@euroalter.com 

La entrada Rivers of Democracy se publicó primero en European Alternatives.

APPLY HERE!

What is YMCA?

The Youth Movement & Campaign Accelerator (YMCA) is a programme that supports young activists in developing and strengthening their campaigns. Over the course of the programme, participants receive training, exchange ideas with peers, and work on shaping initiatives that create meaningful change in their communities.

Right now, they are entering the final phase — where ideas need to become concrete outputs. Participants work in small buddy groups of 3–4 activists, each focusing on a specific theme (such as youth participation, advocacy, communications, community mobilisation, social justice, or partnerships).

This is where you come in.

What does a mentor do?

Participants have been divided in “buddy groups” of 3-4 people, based on their topics and needs for the implementation phase of their actions. As a mentor, you will accompany one buddy group during the last stage of their work.

Your role is not to run their project — but to:

• Be a sounding board
• Ask the right questions
• Give them constructive feedback
• Share your experience
• Help them refine their strategy
• Keep them motivated and focused
• Connect them to relevant organisations
• You’ll support them in turning their work into a strong, clear and impactful final output.

What is expected?

Between March and May 2026, you will:

• Hold at least 3 online meetings with your assigned buddy group
• Provide strategic advice and constructive feedback
• Help the group clarify their goals and next steps
• Connect them with at least 2 relevant civil society organisations or civic associations
• Be available for light follow-up communication when needed
• The total time commitment is approximately 10-15 hours over three months.

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for people who:

• Have experience in civil society, activism, campaigning, youth work, communications, advocacy or related fields
• Enjoy supporting and empowering young people
• Can give honest, practical and encouraging feedback
• Have some availability between March and May 2026

Each buddy group has a specific thematic focus, so mentors will be matched based on their background and skills. We especially welcome experience in:

• campaign strategy & advocacy,
• digital communication & storytelling,
• data collection and impact evaluation,
• policy research,
• fundraising & sustainability,
• community organising, and much more

You don’t need to be a “perfect expert” — but you should feel confident sharing your experience and helping others grow.

Timeline

• February 2026 – Mentor selection & matching
• March 2026 – Mentorship phase begins
• March–May 2026 – At least 3 mentoring meetings
• End of May 2026 – Final outputs completed

What we offer:

• The chance to support passionate young activists across Europe
• A connection to a vibrant transnational civic network
• An honorarium of €150 (TBC)
• A meaningful mentoring experience with tangible impact

How to apply?

To apply, please fill in our online application form until March 7, 2026. You will be asked to share:

• A short motivation statement
• Your relevant experience
• Your thematic expertise
• Your availability between March and May 2026

APPLY HERE!

La entrada OPEN CALL for Mentors: Youth Movement & Campaign Accelerator se publicó primero en European Alternatives.

February – March 2026
One session. Your questions. A real conversation.

There is a moment – usually quiet, often confusing – when activism stops being an idea and starts becoming a question.

How do I start?
How do I continue?
Where do I place myself?
Who do I learn from, without copying?
How do I stay alive, politicised, and not burned out?

This mentorship programme starts exactly there.

European Alternatives launches an open call for young activists and cultural practitioners (under 25) who are already (or not yet) navigating political, artistic, and social engagement, and who are looking for time, space, and dialogue rather than ready-made answers.

What is the Mentorship Programme?

The programme offers one (or more) online mentoring sessions with activists, artists, and organisers working across Europe on issues such as democracy, feminism, climate justice, anti-racism, migration, and cultural practice.

Each participant will book one (or more) session with a mentor of their choice: a moment to ask questions, reflect on doubts, share experiences, and think through next steps together.

Who are the mentors?

The mentors are not abstract “experts”.
They are people who have been, and still are, inside movements, contradictions, failures, and collective processes.

Some mentors are also public voices, with active online communities, bridging grassroots work and digital spaces, helping the programme reach further, while staying grounded.

You choose who you want to talk to, when and why.

• Friday 13 Feb, 5-6pm (CET) with Anna Hakman
  Can lead a session in: English, Russian, Bulgarian
  Topics: Women’s rights and feminism, Migrants rights, Social rights and justice, End war in Gaza or Ukraine or other  
  What do you want to change most in society?
  I want to change the way society sees refugees and migrants – not as a burden, but as people with strength, talents, dignity and potential. I want systems to become more human, accessible and trauma-informed. And above all, I want children – no matter where they were born, to grow in safety, to feel accepted, and to have the same opportunities as anyone else.
  
• Friday 13 Feb, 6-7pm (CET) with Dina Ntziora
  Can lead a session in: English, Greek
  Topics: Migrants rights
  At what age and how did you enter into “activism”?
  I entered into activism in my early twenties, just after completing my MSc in Development, Administration and Planning at the University of Bristol in 2004. My first job was with the local City Council in Bristol, working in the Arts Department. I started as an Administration Assistant for socially engaged arts programmes that supported communities facing different kinds of vulnerabilities. As I learned more, I soon moved into the role of Arts Officer, working directly with communities and seeing first-hand how powerful and transformative art and culture can be, especially for people who don’t usually have the privilege or access to cultural spaces. That experience opened my eyes. I realised how deeply art can support people’s well-being, strengthen their sense of belonging, and help them find a voice in society. Looking back, that was the moment my passion for arts as a tool for activism and social change truly began.
  
• Saturday Feb 14, 3pm-4pm (CET) with Diana Georgieva
  Can lead a session in: English, Bulgarian
  Topics: Women’s rights and feminism, Migrants rights, Social rights and justice, Human Rights
  What would be your main advice to a younger version of you in your path to activism?
  Be reasonable. Investigate both opinions of supporters and critics of an initiative and take steps towards the direction that makes you motivated day by day and you are in love with it!
  
• Thursday Feb 19, 4-5pm (CET) with Tomas Peciar
  Can lead a session in: English, Slovak, Czech
  Topics: Climate, Human Rights, sustainable transport, DIY, community and cultural centers
  What do you want to change most in society?
  I would like to minimize the hate and spread the environmental thinking around. Also, I would like people to face the racism and fascism around us.
  
• Friday Feb 20, 5-6pm (CET) with Szmo Kacprzak
  Can lead a session in: English, Polish
  Topics: Climate, Migrants rights, Social rights and justice, Human Rights
  What do you want to change most in society?
  I want people to think that the quality of our societies should be measured not by our technology or accumulated wealth, but rather by how well we care about the weakest and the most vulnerable of us. I’d like people to take pride not in their ruthlessness but rather in empathy and solidarity.
  
• Friday Feb 20, 5-6pm (CET) with Celia Zayas
  Can lead a session in: English, Spanish
  Topics: Women’s rights and feminism, Human Rights
  What would be your main advice to a younger version of you in your path to activism?
  Not to be afraid, and to think out of the box. Activism isn’t a linear path and there are ways to advocate for social change in many different areas.
  
• Friday Feb 20, 6-7pm (CET) with Abbas Sbeity
  Can lead a session in: English
  Topics: Migrants rights, Social rights and justice
  What would you describe as your main achievement in your endeavour to make changes?
  I view myself as a doer and a catalyzer. In Lebanon, I founded Architects for Change, which increased awareness of social responsibility among young architects and designers; its legacy lives on today through the career paths our previous members have taken. In Sweden, I established Kulturrummet, a local neighborhood-based cultural hub that aims to bring arts and culture into dialogue with social, political, and environmental issues.
  In 2016, I was selected as one of the 16 Young Leaders for the European Commission’s European Development Days.
  
• Thursday Feb 26, 5-6pm (CET) with Nadia Della Gasperina
  Can lead a session in: English, Italian, Croatian
  Topics: Human rights, Social change
  What would be your main advice to a younger version of you in your path to activism?
  Know your limits: when you are lost like I was (and sort of still am, but less than before) and looking for change, I tended to take any opportunity, without knowing if I was going to be actually committed to it. This resulted in me sometimes disappointing the people around me, which could have been prevented if I took up only the assignments I was actually going to complete.
  
• Friday Feb 27, 5-6pm (CET), with Maximilian Rau
  Can lead a session in: English, German
  Topics: Social rights and justice. Giving young people a voice in foreign policy
  What would you describe as your main achievement in your endeavour to make changes?
  By running workshops with young people to co-ideate solutions for foreign policy challenges, I found a way to combine my creative thinking with my passion for inspiring others to bring change.
  
• Friday Feb 27, 5-6pm (CET), with Jasper Schut
  Can lead a session in: English, Dutch, German
  Topics: Climate, Social rights and justice, End war in Gaza or Ukraine or other, Housing
  What do you want to change most in society?
  I always find this a very hard question to answer, injustice is everywhere and there is no single issue I have the most affinity with. I’m however most engaged with building people power in the places where they are, be it universities, workplaces or neighborhoods. Palestine and (affordable) housing have been the the main focus of my organizing over the past year though.
  
• Friday Feb 27, 6-7pm (CET) with Massimo Rotunno
  Can lead a session in: English, Italian
  Topics: Climate, Social rights and justice
  What would you describe as your main achievement in your endeavour to make changes?
  As a political consultant, make a young underdog politician receive more than 17K votes in the EU elections.
  
• Wednesday the 18th, from 4 to 5 PM CET with Paul Mone
  Can lead a session in: English
  Topics: Activism, personal coaching/engagement
  

Who is this for?

This open call is for activists and cultural practitioners under 25

• engaged (or trying to engage) with social, political, artistic or community-based work
• navigating questions around participation, direction, sustainability, and future pathways
• who want dialogue, not prescriptions

You don’t need to be “experienced enough”.
You just need to be already asking questions.

How does it work?

1. Choose up to three mentors
   Take a look at the mentors’ profiles and select up to three people you’d like to meet.
2. Fill in the application form
   Share your basic details and tell us which mentors you’ve chosen, and why you want to join the mentorship.
3. Wait for us to get back to you
   Once the form is closed, we’ll contact you with the next steps.
4. Prepare your questions
   Think about what you’d like to talk about: doubts, ideas, struggles, or paths you’re considering.
5. Have your session!
   Join the online mentoring session and take the time for a real, focused conversation.

Why an open call?

Because mentoring is a political act of transmission.
Because time, care, and attention are resources worth redistributing.
Because young activists don’t need motivation: they need recognition, listening, and trust.

This programme is intentionally time-bound, situated, and participant-led.
One session can already shift a trajectory.

REGISTER NOW!

Any questions? Ask Segolene s.pruvot@euroalter.com or Noemi n.pittala@euroalter.com

The programme is part of Critical ChangeLab and it is run by European Alternatives, a transnational civil society organisation working for democracy, equality, and culture beyond the nation-state.
For over 20 years, European Alternatives has supported movements, assemblies, cultural projects, and political imaginaries across Europe, always starting from lived experience and collective practice.

What is the Critical ChangeLab?

Critical ChangeLab (CCL) is a research project led by 10 organizations across Europe. It consists of participatory action workshops and democratic education sessions centered on young people and focused on transformative change. During these sessions, young participants identify, question, and examine issues causing tensions in their daily lives, working together to imagine alternatives for a sustainable future.

La entrada OPEN CALL – Mentorship Programme for Activists and Cultural Practitioners (under 25) se publicó primero en European Alternatives.

The prime minister of Canada, and former governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney delivered a justifiably celebrated speech at Davos last week, in which he asserted that ‘we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition’ and that in this rupture ‘middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu’. As refreshing as it is to hear at least some truth and modesty amidst the annual festival of self-aggrandizing wealth and power that is Davos, this is not a recipe that Europeans should be satisfied with.

Canada has defined itself as a ‘power of the middle rank’ since the Second World War, in the terms of its then Prime minister Louis St Laurent. Advocating for Canada to be on the UN Security Council, he argued that although Canada had a particular relationship with the United Kingdom and with the United States of America, it had sufficient military and economic independence to take decisions in the interests of its own people and its own conception of the international order. Middle power diplomacy is variously understood as a commitment to the multilateral order, humanitarianism and/or the power of states which are powerful enough to count in geopolitics, but not as powerful as the dominant superpowers, understood these days to be the USA and China.

Europe has two countries with permanent seats on the Security Council, France and the United Kingdom. Both of these countries have nuclear weapons. The European Union as a whole is the second largest economy in the world, and largest single market. The European continent is the third most populous in the world, and above 6 percent of the world’s population live inside the EU. If Europe does not punch at its weight in geopolitics it is not because of any geographical or economic reason, it is because it has a) outsourced defence capacities to the United States of America for too long and so finds itself dependent, b) has refused to implement efficient collective political decision principles when it comes to external action and c) it is reluctant to project itself as the global power that it is.

The European Union is waking up to the expense of addressing the first of these problems, and the democratic sustainability of the answer it finds will be dependent on the ways in which it combines a commitment to social welfare with increased military budgets. It will take some years, but there is too long left in the Trump presidency and no certainty of what comes after for the Europeans not to take this path.

That the European Union has been able to take sustained coordinated action together with the United Kingdom when it comes to supporting Ukraine, even if that action has been insufficient or inadequate, despite internal wreckers like Hungary, shows that minimally effective political decision and unity is possible, even with highly imperfect constitutional order.

Far too much is made of the first two problems as if they were the fundamental ones, as if the problem were managerial rather than political. The fundamental problem is the existential one: it is a problem of self-conception, understanding and taking responsibility. Europe’s refusal to conceive of itself as the global power it is – economically, in diplomacy, in soft power, and as it could be in hard power – is a failure of to take responsibility, sometimes excused by a historic sense of humility and guilt, often excused by the tiresomeness of finding agreement amongst so many countries with different histories and interests, most often by leaving the risk of leadership to others. Excuses and excuses, which avoid the profound political work of Europe taking the risk of debating and deciding what kind of global actor it wants to be, and even showing the world that this can be done democratically. After the Second World War it was understandable, even wise, that the Europeans abdicated this responsibility on a global scale and concentrated on themselves. The necessity of coming to terms with colonial pasts and presents make it even more painful to assume the role, but guilt cannot be made an alibi. The lucky Europeans cannot bask in the warmth and comfort of the unprecedented peace they inherited any longer. We will have to work to reinvent it as our grandparents did and as many of our neighbours inside and next to larger Europe have done and continue to do. This time it will not just be amongst ourselves, but on a global stage with all the partners we can find.

Europe is not Norway, it is not Austria, it is not Ukraine, but it is not Italy, France, the UK or Germany either. It is none of these individual countries on its own, and that is why it is not a middle power, neither in size nor in geometry. It is large enough to contain multitudes, identities and cultures of liberty which are deeply embedded. Thus if it is capable of staying on a path of democracy internally, it will not easily become an authoritarian hegemon on a global scale. Conceiving of Europe as a middle power reduces its potential, right at the moment when a vehicle of positive planetary transformation is necessary, at a moment of enormous geopolitical risk of conflagration. Middle powers can only shape the war from behind the front lines; a new kind of superpower needs to impose ways to stop these kinds of wars entirely. By definition, Europe will not do it on its own, but Europe must take a responsibility consummate to its size, history and strength to lead this collective effort.

La entrada STATEMENT: Europe is not a middle power: it must act as a new kind of superpower se publicó primero en European Alternatives.

The President of the United States of America has threatened to impose 10% trade tariffs on six EU countries, the UK and Norway because they refuse to recognize the demand of Donald Trump to take ownership of Greenland. The European Union must activate the Anti-Coercion instrument immediately: the people of Greenland are EU citizens, and Greenland is a part of Denmark. The two other non-EU countries concerned must join in the effort to show resolute unity on a matter of principle as well as a matter of common European security. 

The instrument was conceived to protect the EU and its member states from third countries’ economic coercion and introduced at the end of 2023. There could not be a clearer case of the use of economic policy for coercion. If the EU does not use it now in the face of US threats, it will not be able to use it as a credible instrument to stand up to any future coercion from any other country, whether it is Russia, China or somewhere else.

Some diplomats have been arguing that the EU should wait to see if Trump actually does impose the tariffs at the beginning of February before activating the instrument. 

No. 

Firstly, the scope of the instrument is clear: 

‘Under the regulation, ‘economic coercion’ refers to a situation whereby a third country seeks to pressure the European Union or an EU Member State into making a particular choice by applying, or threatening to apply, measures affecting trade or investment.’

Protecting against coercion, European Commission

This is as it should be. Announcements of economic policy shape economic behaviour in advance of being implemented. Threatening tariffs to coerce countries into agreeing to USA policies is nothing new in this Presidency, the US president has already tried this trick on the whole world. The EU was too weak and fearful last summer when it came to the Thurnbury agreement on a trade deal (which the EU must also not advance on). Now like a mafia boss Trump is exploiting weakness to push for more: the EU must stand up to this firmly and clearly.

Secondly, the instrument itself foresees several steps until response action is taken, including the European Commission entering into negotiations with the third country. Not activating the instrument in the name of waiting to see what happens when EU countries meet Trump in Davos or trying to deescalate by not retaliating are getting things completely the wrong way around. It is built into the EU to seek dialogue and negotiation, where the EU lacks credibility is that it will take sufficiently powerful action. This is what Trump is relentlessly and successfully exploiting. Only by showing that the EU is willing to defend itself will it be able to negotiate.

There will be those that continue to say all relations with the United States of America are secondary to continued USA support for Ukraine. If NATO is turned into a protection racket, in which in order to benefit from the protection of the most powerful member everyone else has to bend to its will, then it is not the kind of club anyone would willingly want to be a member of and many will justifiably seek ways of leaving. And at this point a clear eyed assessment of how much support the USA is really giving to Ukraine has to acknowledge that in monetary and military terms this is declining rapidly. The European Union already has no choice but to step up its support: breaking out of American tutelage which has transformed into extorsion only provides further reason.

If it can for once project power this time, in the face of such brazen and explicit attempts to undermine, decredibilise and divide it, this could be the beginning of the EU breaking out of its constant cycle of reaction, and making an attempt to shape the future rather than react to other people. It should make a clear offer for Greenland to become a full member of the EU (rather than having an autonomous status), to be voted on by Greenlanders themselves; it should accelerate Ukrainian accession and accession of all the Balkans states. It should bring together all those countries across the world that believe in international law, from Brazil to South Africa to Taiwan, to seek joint proposals for addressing conflicts from Palestine to Ukraine to the situation in Venezuela. Sometimes theorists call this ‘middle power diplomacy’. That is a depreciating name, in today’s world it would be better called ‘standing up for international law and human rights’. It is what Europe claims it is for, now it has to show it.

La entrada STATEMENT: Europe must stand up to Trump and shape the future se publicó primero en European Alternatives.

Palermo, Sicily — April 17–23, 2026

Across Europe and beyond, a new generation of young artists and activists are searching for ways to face climate and social crises with imagination and collective power.

The School of Artivism is a residency designed for them – for you – to explore how creative practices can become tools for political action, community transformation, and ecological justice.

For one week in Palermo, a group of young artivists from across Europe will gather to learn, reflect, train, and build the foundations of future creative actions to fight for climate and social justice.

Who Can Apply?

We welcome young people aged 20–25 residing in the EU who are already active in artistic and/or activist communities, who use (or wish to use) creativity as part of their political or ecological engagement.

We aim for a balanced and diverse group, with a strong representation of participants living in Italy and Sicily – including some based in Palermo – while also welcoming a significant number of young people from across the rest of Europe.

We also welcome participation from local groups, and we will create bridges between incoming participants and the workshops/activities of the Palermo-based festival Earth Day Med.

What the residency is about

Training young artists and activists in the principles of artivism to help them form a group, explore core practices, understand political & ecological contexts, and prepare to develop their own actions once they return home.

But what is Artivism?

Artivism is the intentional use of creative practices for political and social action.
It combines creativity, strategy, symbolism, and collective intelligence to influence culture, challenge power structures, and make democratic struggles visible.

During the residency, participants will explore these principles through:

• A local case study linked to Palermo’s ecological and cultural context,

• Workshops on the roots and methods of artivism,

• Collective learning inspired by the festival’s program and roundtables,

• Deep reflection on climate and biodiversity issues through artistic and political lenses.

The Programme  

Before the Residency — 4 Webinars

Four online sessions will prepare the group and provide a shared foundation on different topics.

During the Residency

• Workshops, guided reflections, and situational exercises

• Exploration of Palermo’s local ecological and cultural context

• Participant exchanges & building a transnational community of artivists

• Integration of festival content (e.g., watching a panel, then working with the ideas)

• Final day: “Apply it to your local context” — turning learning into a first project vision

Connection to the Palermo Festival

The residency will interact with the Earth Day Med Palermo festival produced and curated by Fondazione Studio Rizoma:

• Attending festival programmations (discussions, screenings, workshops, etc)

• Reflecting collectively on themes such as climate, biodiversity, democracy, migration, or Mediterranean ecologies

• Integrating festival insights into the training path

This is a training-only program: Participants will not carry out a public action during the residency, but will prepare the ground to implement one once they return to their local context.

Buddy System: Each participant is paired with another to support reflection, learning, and integration. Participants may invite friends or collaborators to the follow-up coaching sessions after the residency.

Logistics

• Residency dates: April 17–23, 2026 (Travel days included)

• Accommodation in a youth hostel in central Palermo

• Travel reimbursement up to €170 per participant (balancing distances fairly)

• Lunches will be offered during the sessions, but no per diem is envisioned 

• How to Apply

Applications are to be made through the following online form.

We will select participants based on:

Motivations

Diversity of profiles and backgrounds

Balance between Italy/Sicily, Palermo, and the rest of Europe

Travel-cost feasibility

Desire to contribute to a collective learning community

Proven motivation to utilise artivism in future local actions.

Deadline to apply: 1st February 2026

Do you have any questions?  Please write to: info@studiorizoma.org 

Who is behind the residency?

The School of Artivism is collaborative program by Le Brui Qui Court, Fondazione Studio Rizoma and European Alternatives, co-financed by the European Union. 

All three organisations share a belief in the power of the arts in bringing social change, each bringing their own experiences and skill sets. 

La entrada OPEN CALL — The School of Artivism se publicó primero en European Alternatives.

Over the course of 2026, European Alternatives will provide platforms and spaces throughout Europe for actors from these struggles, together with migrant and BIPOC-led, Roma, trans-feminist, social and ecological movements. By bringing these forces into dialogue and collaboration, we seek to strengthen transnational solidarities and contribute to democratic, social and ecological transformation grounded in international human rights law.

European Alternatives supports the struggle of all people fighting against authoritarianism, imperialism, patriarchy, aggression and extractivism and the supremacy of international human rights law.  We stand for a democratic refoundation of Europe beyond the nation state. 

We understand this moment as a clash between collapsing forms of nations, and transnational and planetary forces forging new democratic futures under conditions of ecological breakdown and global interdependence.

This struggle is more acute than at any point over Europe’s post second world-war history, and violent repression of movements enacting alternatives to a murderous and ecocidal status-quo is carried out across the territory and at its borders. This repression ranges from restriction of civic space, to police violence, to war and attempted extermination. 

Building on its work over the last years, European Alternatives:

• continues to stand in solidarity with people in Ukraine against Russian aggression, calls for a rapid and just peace and democratic and social reconstruction,
• is alarmed that the announced ceasefire in Gaza is not being observed by Israel, deplores settler violence in the Westbank and calls on the European Union to activate sanctions and suspensions of trade agreements in respect of international law, and to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians;
• stands in solidarity with the movements and protestors of Georgia against the stolen elections, calls on movements, businesses, and governments across Europe to not recognize the dictatorship of Georgian Dream;
• protests against the arrest of political opponents of Erdogan in Turkey, calls for the release of all political prisoners and wants to work hand in hand with democratic actors from Turkey and the region to overthrow authoritarianism;
• acts in solidarity with the student protestors in Serbia, who for over a year have been demanding the resignation of Vucic and an end to the Vucic regime. This protest movement requires the clear, unequivocal and consequential political support of the European Union and of all democratic movements. 

La entrada STATEMENT: For a refoundation of Europe from the margins se publicó primero en European Alternatives.

REGISTER NOW!

EA works with activists and decision makers from around Europe and beyond. In the last few years we are increasingly seeing situations of burnout and difficulty in managing emotions, high stress and conflict. The reasons behind that are clear: the world is on fire. Genocide, war, climate emergency, rise of the far right, rollback on civil and reproductive rights… The list goes on. We, at times or increasingly, feel overstretched, overworked and in a mode of high alert. 

This is why we are partnering with artist, activist, facilitator and trained coach Lora Krasteva to create this practical, accessible training to boost the resilience of the amazing people working day in, day out for a better world. 

The training runs throughout January 2026 and is self-paced: participants will receive one email per week introducing a new module.

We firmly believe that care is an essential part of democracy and that this sense of care must start from within us, at a personal level. We know, as organisers and connectors, that the beauty of our work lies in our ties with others – a work that can (at times) be challenging, especially when our contexts impact us differently depending on our diverse privileges or disadvantages. We also know that within conflict, collaboration and cooperation can be born – providing we are equipped with the right tools to build equitably, and together.

The following mix of inspirations, resources and exercises are a small example of existing theories and practices. They are by no means exhaustive. We hope this can help and support you to find what works for you and the people and communities you work with. 

Week 1: Emotional & Physical Resilience (8 January 2026)

Week 2: Practical Implementation of Care Practices (15 January 2026)

Week 3: Care in Conflict Resolution within our movement (22 January 2026)

For any doubts and questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with info@euroalter.com

La entrada Care & Resilience Online Training se publicó primero en European Alternatives.

About EA’s Ecosystem

European Alternatives is an NGO founded in 2006. It brings together individuals and organisations wanting radical change in the future of Europe and its role in the world. It works with activists, artists, students and workers, with local cafes and national museums and continent wide movements. Weaving together and nurturing this network is a major part of our activity, and we want to give even more attention and care to it, ensuring as much exchange, capacity building, mutual learning and collaboration across borders as possible.

About the Position

The Network & Ecosystem Coordinator will have a strategic role within EA: that of keeping in touch with partners and members, nurturing long term collaborations, understanding the needs and wishes of the ecosystem, proposing occasions and engagement opportunities that respond to the needs of the ecosystem. The Network & Ecosystem Coordinator shall be able to identify opportunities for further collaborations and be able to propose ways to foster them to EA’s Operating Committee of directors. You will have to propose the best ways to allocate resources to the activities of the network within a predefined annual budget. You’ll be working a lot online but shall be in the Paris Office 3 days a week. You will be travelling regularly. 

How we’ll work with you 

The Network & Ecosystem Coordinator will work under the supervision of EA’s deputy Director and will have opportunities to interact regularly with the Operating Committee, composed of the directors of EA’s legal entities. The coordinator will have to be in regular touch with the rest of EA’s team to record, keep track of, identify and nurture further collaborations. You’ll be part of a dynamic team. European Alternatives is a highly flexible organisation, able to react quickly to new opportunities, open to developing its actions in directions that fit its team’s main areas of interest. Therefore there is lots of space for you to bloom. But EA’s transnational, fast-paced, highly geared nature is not always easy to navigate. Employees are expected to be both extremely collaborative and very autonomous. We are a small team so many of us are involved in several projects in different roles. You’ll normally always find a colleague happy to answer your questions, but you should not be afraid to ask and to request guidance when needed. We work a lot online with people located throughout Europe. 

What you’ll be in charge of

Below are the key tasks that would compose your regular work routine: 

• Consolidating and keeping an updated database of EA network: partners, institutional contacts, collaborators, speakers
• Keeping informed about the needs, political claims and financing situation of the network 
• Working with the rest of EA staff to identify and build opportunities for the network to engage around EA: training, campaigning, networking meetings
• Re-establishing a transnational, attractive and creative membership process 
• Leading on the organisation of EA’s annual AGM and other network and ecosystem activities
• Realising quarterly political trends analysis of the network
• Identifying political opportunities at the European level for the network
• Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL): you will be responsible for gathering qualitative and quantitative data to assess impact of EA.
• You will take part in leading the evaluation and learning of EA based on the data gathered from the network

Who we are looking for

EA is looking for a brilliant, outward looking, sociable, very organised and down to earth person. Ideally, you are an excellent communicator, able to sum up and simplify complex questions into simple language and a highly collaborative person willing to understand and meet the interest of our partners. At the same time you can ensure databases are up to date with latest contact details, and design engaging forms of surveys, feedback and giving input into strategies and planning. 

You are open, curious, you have multicultural background and experiences and you get along with people from different backgrounds, political and professional experience, from institutionals, to activists and artists. You can work proficiently in English and in French. Speaking other languages is an asset. 

In terms of technical skills, ideally you can already use online tools for campaigning, data management (CRM), and network engagement and/or are enthusiastic about using them in your daily work.

Location: Paris, France. Teleworking is allowed up to 2 days per week. Regular travel across the EU. 

Salary band: between 30,000€ and 35,000€ gross for full time position, depending on experience + meals allowance (ticket restaurant) + ½ of travel card for paris region metro

How to apply? 

Application: Send CV + Cover letter detailing experiences and research themes. Send by email with the subject “Network & Ecosystem Coordinator” to info@euroalter.com

Diversity: Alternatives is an equal opportunity employer and particularly encourages applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds, education and professional experience. We value diversity. We recognize that people from underrepresented backgrounds are not sufficiently included in the NGO sector and we are strongly committed to doing what we can to correct this. If you think that such opportunities are less available to you, we encourage you to apply.

Applications

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please send your application by 2 January 2026.

Expected first-round online interviews: 5–10 January 2026 by zoom

Expected Second-round interviews: shortly after shortlist selection in person in Paris in the week of 12-15 January or 19-23. 

Entry date in the organisation wished as soon as possible

La entrada We are looking for our new Network & Ecosystem Coordinator! se publicó primero en European Alternatives.

About EA’s work in the field

EA is coordinating a transnational feminist network, in the follow-up of FIERCE, that we want to further nurture, develop and accompany. EA is also actively involved in research on masculinism and fighting masculinism online, in the frame of the EMMELO project. Our aim is to contribute to building strong transnational interactions, actions, and capacities among trans-feminist actors and movements throughout Europe and beyond. This work entails stimulating and organising cooperation with anti-racists movements on common actions. 

EA’s work on migrant’s rights is developed in line with the work lead as part of TACKLE and the Pact for Equality. The Equality Network & Advocacy Manager shall be responsible for building interconnections between these two areas of work. They will also be responsible for implementing the Pact for Equality Campaigns together with the network of migrant’s led organisations supported in the frame of TACKLE. 

About the Position

The Equality & Policy Advocacy Manager will be responsible for leading the implementation of EA’s activities in the field of feminism (with a strong focus on mobilisation against anti-gender movements) and in the field of anti-racism, anti-discrimination and migrants’ rights. 

The Equality Network & Advocacy Manager will be working under the supervision of EA’s directors in agile teams on each of the topics. 

How we’ll work together

European Alternatives is a highly flexible organisation, able to react quickly to new opportunities, open to developing its actions in directions that fit its team’s main areas of interest. Therefore there is lots of space for you to bloom. But EA’s transnational, fast-paced, highly geared nature is not always easy to navigate. Employees are expected to be both extremely collaborative and very autonomous. The teams you’ll be working with will depend on the project. The team leaders will be guiding and accompanying but you’ll also have large margins for creativity. You’ll probably have to make efforts to share and look for information. We are a small team so many of us are involved in several projects in different roles. You’ll normally always find a colleague happy to answer your questions, but you should not be afraid to ask and to request guidance when needed. 

What you’ll be in charge of

The Equality & Policy Advocacy Manager will have the following responsibilities: 

Network animation and coordination

• Organise and animate the transnational feminist network. Define and develop the content of regular online meetings and some in-person meetings. 
• Animate and coordinate a group of feminist organisations based in France wishing to organise common work to fight anti-gender movements 
• Animate and coordinate a group of organisations working on migrants rights in the frame of the TACKLE project and beyond
• Build bridges between activists from feminist, pro-democracy, anti-racism and environmental backgrounds throughout Europe 
• Support the development of a database of organisation fighting masculinism and antigender movements in Europe
• Identify political opportunities to carry out specific demands of the networks in France and in Europe 
• Formulate policy proposals at the transnational level and policy documents to carry out the voice of the networks and activists relevant actors 

Develop knowledge and training curriculums for feminists and anti-racists activists: 

• Ensure that the transnational feminist network develops and shares tools, resources, practices and connections and thereby strengthen feminist capacity to act at transnational level
• Coordinate and co-develop the organisation of a training for TACKLE advocates 

Policy Advocacy and Awareness raising 

• Ensure the continuous use of the results of the FIERCE project in France and with European institutions 
• Liaise with key European policy representatives and MEPs to make sure the demands of the network are considered
• Contribute to content production and coordination of people in the frame of the Pact for Equality Campaign (TACKLE)

Fundraising and reporting:

• When relevant assist in identifying fundraising opportunities and writing fundraising applications 
• Contribute to the writing of reports linked to the activities overseen to funders 

Other: 

• Presence in Mondays online team meetings is required 
• Place of work is Paris. Presence in the office in Paris 3 days a week is part of the job. 
• Regular travel abroad requested 

Who we are looking for

You are a very sociable, engaged, precise and practical individual. You like speaking with partners on the phone and thinking of the best ways to collaborate, you are ready to engage into difficult conversations and work to pin down the key action points that have a chance to be picked up by other activists and policy makers at the European level. You are a strong team member, making efforts to nurture collaborations and to understand the needs of your partners. You also like practical action and organising. You have a strong multicultural background and understanding of feminism and of anti-racism. You like going to the office and meeting people. And ideally, you have already worked in the fields of advocacy and network and coalition building. 

You speak and write French and English fluently, knowledge of other languages is welcome.

Salary band : between 34,000 and 37,000 gross for full time position, depending on experience + meals allowance (ticket restaurant) + ½ of travel card for paris region metro

How to apply? 

Application: Send CV + Cover letter detailing experiences and research themes. Send by email with the subject “Equality & Policy Advocacy Manager” to info@euroalter.com

Diversity: Alternatives is an equal opportunity employer and particularly encourages applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds, education and professional experience. We value diversity. We recognize that people from underrepresented backgrounds are not sufficiently included in the NGO sector and we are strongly committed to doing what we can to correct this. If you think that such opportunities are less available to you, we encourage you to apply.

Applications

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please send your application by 2 January 2026.

Expected first-round online interviews: 5–10 January 2026 by zoom

Expected Second-round interviews: shortly after shortlist selection in person in Paris in the week of 12-15 January or 19-23. 

Entry date in the organisation wished as soon as possible.

La entrada WE ARE HIRING! We are looking for our new Equality & Policy Advocacy Manager! se publicó primero en European Alternatives.