Art, Smart Citizenship and the Future of Democracy

Expert Talk with artist and policy-maker Kader Sevinç

Polis 180 warmly invites you to a discussion with Kader Sevinç. As an artist, poet, writer and young policy-maker she develops creative and innovative solutions to revitalize our democracy. She is convinced that young voices should have a better say in political decision-making and tries to counter the increasing frustration of younger generations with political parties and processes in her work. Therefore, Kader Sevinç, who is also a member of the Presidency of the Party of European Socialisits (PES) and the EU representative of the Turkish socialdemocratic CHP founded the initiative „Democracy 4.0“. She strongly believes that to change the way political parties and governments work, we as citizens have to redefine our role in society.

In 2013, in light of her engagement, the Diplomatic Courier magazine and the YPFP in Washington DC recognized her as one of the most influential young foreign policy leaders in the world.

Background

All across Europe, less and less young people are engaged in political parties; some are even losing their faith in democray. Two out of three young Germans believe that most politicians ignore the views of younger people. Not so bright prospects for the future of democracy.

Democracy is not just about the ballot-box. To revitalise our political debates and counter growing nationalist movements, many call for the introduction of new forms of democratic participation or what Kader Sevinç calls: an upgrade of democracy. She believes that it is up to us citizens to revolutionize the way our political parties function and our governments work: „We cannot fix the government until we fix our citizenship and rediscover the power of citizens. We, smart citizens, are the change.“ In her work, she often uses art to address and raise awareness for current political challenges.

Join the Discussion

The input by Kader Sevinç about art and politics, smart citizenship, the role of new technologies and the need for more transparent legislative procedures to upgrade our politics will be followed by an open discussion on policy innovations and the role of young policy-makers. Kader Sevinç will enrich the debate with her experiences and ideas and is looking forward to critical remarks and an interesting debate. The input and discussion will take place in English.