This July, Berlin Hub by Civil Society Forum e.V., the Democracy & Belonging Forum, and the European Philanthropic Initiative on Migration invite you into an evening around belonging, bridging and community with scholar and social justice thought leader John A. Powell, director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley.

​john a. powell will open the evening with reflections on belonging without othering, followed by stories and perspectives from people across Berlin communities.

​From there, the space will gradually open into participant-led conversations, shared tables, food, drinks and embodied practices — creating room for people to think together, meet across different experiences and remain in dialogue a little longer than everyday life usually allows. Read more details and rgister for the event HERE.

Across Europe, we are witnessing a coordinated rise in anti-gender politics, from legislative restrictions to public campaigns targeting gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights.

Governments and far-right groups in Italy, Poland, Hungary and some other EU countries challenge gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights by framing them as “ideology.” In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the situation is often even more severe, with “LGBT propaganda” laws and continuous pressure on civil society.

These trends don’t stop at national borders. They spread through shared messages, partnerships and funding, affecting communities across the region.

On January 20, 10 AM CET, we invite you to join the discussion, where we will take a closer look at the anti-gender shift through the findings of a Policy Paper created by Quarteera with the CSF and the CSF Working Group on Gender Equality.

Quarteera (Germany) will share findings from the policy paper, and speakers from Italy (Certi Diritti), Georgia and Russia (ComingOut Initiative) will share their perspectives and how local civil societies are resisting the anti-gender turn.

Discussion will be held in English. Register for the discussion HERE.

Access to trustworthy, transparent information is increasingly viewed as a core democratic right, yet one that is growing ever more fragile. As the EU works to build a stronger democracy protection mechanism, key questions emerge: how do we actually protect citizens online, hold platforms accountable, and maintain democratic resilience in an environment shaped by overload, manipulation and algorithmic distortion? The newly adopted Democracy Shield is such an initiative, but is it enough?

Join us as we explore how and whether voters can make informed decisions in such a landscape, what role digital rights can realistically play, and what we can learn from the experience of Central and Eastern Europe. And most importantly — what additional steps are needed to safeguard Europe’s digital public sphere in the years ahead.

This event is brought to you by EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, in collaboration with the Civil Society Forum and experts from FOJO Media Institute, Roskomsvoboda and the Digital Rights Center. The debate will be moderated by Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister, Head of the Global Europe Programme at EUROPEUM.

Are you interested in the newest lesson materials developed for the Confronting Memories programme and the work carried out by our ambassadors in Armenia, Georgia and Moldova? Join us for a closing discussion featuring an exploration of the latest pedagogical guide, Teaching Sensitive History: Conflicts in the Post-Soviet Space, along with presentations of this year’s work done by CM ambassadors—followed by a catered dinner.