The Manifesto
The policy proposals in the Manifesto of the International Brusseler did not appear from nowhere. They were developed by International Brusselers themselves through the democratic participation project Live here. Speak, hear. Thousands of people got involved in this innovative process, which combined online and on-site activities and culminated in the event Brussels Voice 22 at the regional Parliament.
The Manifesto
The policy proposals in the Manifesto of the International Brusseler did not appear from nowhere. They were developed by International Brusselers themselves through the democratic participation project Live here. Speak, hear. Thousands of people got involved in this innovative process, which combined online and on-site activities and culminated in the event Brussels Voice 22 at the regional Parliament.
DRAFTING THE BRUSSELS MANIFESTO
LIVE HERE. SPEAK, HEAR.
Across four complementary phases, Live here. Speak, hear. went beyond a classic consultation and into the realm of democratic policy co-creation. The outputs of each phase became the inputs of the next, with democratic and participative approaches at every stage. This means that the final proposals drafted in small-group workshops are still representative of the hopes and concerns who raised their Brussels Voice online.
DRAFTING THE BRUSSELS MANIFESTO
LIVE HERE. SPEAK, HEAR.
Across four complementary phases, Live here. Speak, hear. went beyond a classic consultation and into the realm of democratic policy co-creation. The outputs of each phase became the inputs of the next, with democratic and participative approaches at every stage. This means that the final proposals drafted in small-group workshops are still representative of the hopes and concerns who raised their Brussels Voice online.
The story
so far
Gathering ideas
June – September 2021
International Brusselers were invited to submit their ideas and proposals for the Region on a digital platform. Within a few months we gathered more than 250 ideas covering all aspects of life in Brussels.
Voting
October 2021
International Brusselers returned to the digital platform to say whether they supported or disagreed with the ideas collected in Phase 1. Thanks to a proactive outreach campaign, by the end of this phase there were 1395 people registered and they had voted 9710 times! This approach made it possible to filter the ideas in a democratic way, while the ease of participation and the broad audience give the process real legitimacy.
From ideas to solutions
November 2021
With ideas gathered and ranked, it was time to meet in person and start the workshops! In this phase International Brusselers developed the ideas from the digital platform into a mapping of their community’s concerns and proposals.148 people registered for the workshops, which were lively evenings of debate, brainstorming and creative interaction. After three busy sessions we had 166 constructive solutions clustered around the six topics which now structure the manifesto.
From solutions to policy proposals
December 2021
In this final phase we really pushed the limits of democratic participation. Small groups of International Brusselers sat round the table with academic experts to draft concrete, implementable policy proposals inspired by the clusters of ideas developed in Phase 3. Participation was necessarily limited and 45 people registered for the six thematic sessions, but they based their work on the outputs of Phase 3. The result was the 22 policy proposals presented here in the Manifesto of the International Brusseler.
The story so far
Gathering ideas
June – September 2021
International Brusselers were invited to submit their ideas and proposals for the Region on a digital platform. Within a few months we gathered more than 250 ideas covering all aspects of life in Brussels.
Voting
October 2021
International Brusselers returned to the digital platform to say whether they supported or disagreed with the ideas collected in Phase 1. Thanks to a proactive outreach campaign, by the end of this phase there were 1395 people registered and they had voted 9710 times! This approach made it possible to filter the ideas in a democratic way, while the ease of participation and the broad audience give the process real legitimacy.
From ideas to solutions
November 2021
With ideas gathered and ranked, it was time to meet in person and start the workshops! In this phase International Brusselers developed the ideas from the digital platform into a mapping of their community’s concerns and proposals.148 people registered for the workshops, which were lively evenings of debate, brainstorming and creative interaction. After three busy sessions we had 166 constructive solutions clustered around the six topics which now structure the manifesto.
From solutions to policy proposals
December 2021
In this final phase we really pushed the limits of democratic participation. Small groups of International Brusselers sat round the table with academic experts to draft concrete, implementable policy proposals inspired by the clusters of ideas developed in Phase 3. Participation was necessarily limited and 45 people registered for the six thematic sessions, but they based their work on the outputs of Phase 3. The result was the 22 policy proposals presented here in the Manifesto of the International Brusseler.
THE DAY OF THE INTERNATIONAL BRUSSELER – BRUSSELS VOICE 22
Brussels Voice 22 was the the first ever Day of the International Brusseler. The event took place at the Brussels Parliament on 28 April, gathering international residents, policymakers and regional MPs representing most political groups.
THE EVENT
Brussels Voice 22 marked the formal handover of the Manifesto of the International Brusseler to the Brussels Parliament and Government. The event was a lively success, with International Brusselers passionately defending not just their proposals but their very right to have a say in the policies of their home Region. Around 40 International Brusselers were in the hemicycle to witness the event in person and many more were watching online. 12 Members of Parliament also attended. They acknowledged and welcomed the manifesto, underlining that International Brusselers share the concerns of their Belgian neighbours. There was also broad support for both continuing to engage with the community and seeking ways to give them the right to vote in regional elections.
Speakers at Brussels voice 22
Rachid Madrane
President of the Brussels Parliament
Alain Hutchinson
Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations
Members of the Brussels Parliament
Pascal Smet
Brussels State Secretary for European and International Relations
Ilaria Maselli & Bryn Watkins
International Brusselers
Rewatch the livestream
BRUSSELS VOICE 23
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