2025 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

Civic Audit is a social technology that promotes social control and participatory budgeting, empowering citizens to evaluate and propose improvements to public policies. Created in 2012 by the Institute for Inspection and Control (IFC) to monitor healthcare, the methodology evolved and began to be applied in education in 2019, within the Attitude Students Program (EA) in the state of Goiás.

Since then, the practice has been an instrument for youth engagement and strengthening transparency in the educational sector. In Attitude Students, public school students conduct audits in their own school environments, analyzing classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, and other spaces. Based on forms provided by the State of Goiás Comptroller-General’s Office (CGE-GO), students identify structural and organizational challenges, interview peers, teachers, and administrators, and, instead of merely reporting problems, plan and implement concrete solutions. In this way, the practice combines theoretical learning with practical action, encouraging youth leadership and a sense of civic responsibility.

Currently, the Civic Audit is applied in 7 states, 283 cities, and 1,085 schools, directly benefiting 44,950 students. Its implementation contributes to the institutionalization of participatory democracy, strengthening the culture of social control and bringing citizens closer to public management. In addition to providing transparency and active participation, the practice has consolidated itself as an effective tool for engaging young people in monitoring public resources. With a structured and easily replicable methodology, Civic Audit has impacted schools and communities, transforming the relationship between citizens and government. Over the years, the practice has proven to be a sustainable model of citizen participation, demonstrating that education can be a driver for transparency and improvement in public management, shaping more critical and engaged citizens in strengthening democracy.

• https://www.estudantesdeatitude.go.gov.br/ (External link)