2024 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

18th Edition

Phase 6 of 7

Publication Preparation 08/09/2024 - 15/10/2024

Process phases

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Grez-Doiceau: European citizens' walk and drawing competition

Official proposal

17/05/2024 15:03

The family walk based on European values and the drawing competition based on cultural diversity, cuisine and traditions in Europe involved many partners and stakeholders throughout Grez-Doiceau: the local authority, the local college, the tourist office, the youth centre, the schools (management, teachers, pupils and parents) and all the families taking part in the walk and in the search for the P.H. Spaak code.

Starting with the European DESIRE project (Promoting the idea of building Europe as part of the 70th anniversary of R. Schuman, one of the fathers of Europe) with 9 other communes, the commune was able to bring together - following an appeal - a whole series of stakeholders, young people in particular. This gave rise to the idea of a walk... The Schuman walk was born.

Following the success of the walk (see video), the local people suggested that it should be continued, with the emphasis on the drawing competition with the schools (over 120 drawings were exhibited for 1 month in the village centre). It's a real success, especially as the children go out with their parents to show and explain the drawings. They talk about values and flags.

Getting families to take part in a competition (12 questions about Europe) throughout the walk generates interest and allows them to discuss the geography, history and characters of Europe. Through their drawings, the pupils express their views on travel, culinary specialities and cultural diversity in the different European countries.

The whole project was well publicised (in the press, on Facebook, on the municipality's website and in the local newspaper), and the use of the Fluicity/Efalia digital platform as a means of voting and communication is a major step towards the wider use of other types of voting for the participatory budget and other civic issues.

In short, it's been a great and innovative experiment in civic engagement across all the villages in the commune.