Researchers’ toolbox for the future:empowering children to shape their future

Abstract There is an increasing emphasis on empowering children through co-design and co-creation of technology that shapes their learning, wellbeing and lifestyle, and everyday lived experiences. However, several questions emerge: what does it really mean to empower children, what have we achieved thus far, and where are we headed now, as we fight the ongoing pandemic, and in the future when the pandemic is behind us? This workshop aims to answer such questions by investigating, through a strategy approach, different forms of empowerment of children and related ethical, practical, political, and technological implications, in line with this year’s conference theme of “shaping experiences, shaping society.” The outcome of the workshop includes a methodological toolbox for researchers working towards empowerment of children and other vulnerable users, with an aim to enable inquiry, design, and critical examination of children’s socio-technological futures

This time it’s different? Effects of the Eurovision Debate on young citizens’ and its consequence for EU democracy – evidence from a quasi-experiment in 24 countries

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.For the very first time in EU history, the 2014 EP elections provided citizens with the opportunity to influence the nomination of the Commission President by casting a vote for the main Europarties’ ‘lead candidates’. By subjecting the position of the Commission President to an open political contest, many experts have formulated the expectation that heightened political competition would strengthen the weak electoral connection between EU citizens and EU legislators, which some consider a root cause for the EU’s lack of public support. In particular, this contest was on display in the so-called ‘Eurovision Debate’, a televised debate between the main contenders for the Commission President broadcasted live across Europe. Drawing on a quasi-experimental study conducted in 24 EU countries, we find that debate exposure led to increased cognitive and political involvement and EU support among young citizens. Unfortunately, the debate has only reached a very small audience