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At the heart of the project are Democracy Labs â€“ participatory environments that bring together citizens, researchers, civil society organisations and policymakers to collaboratively examine democratic challenges and co-create innovative solutions. By fostering structured dialogue and joint problem-solving, the Democracy Labs seek to develop new forms of participation that complement traditional democratic institutions and help address complex societal issues.

Tallinn University’s School of Digital Technologies has played a central role in this work. The team, led by Professor David Lamas, coordinated the Democracy Labs work package and contributed to the design and development of the project’s participatory methodology.

To extend the impact of the project beyond its research phase, two practical resources have now been released for open access use:

• Democracy Labs Toolkit offers adaptable materials for organising and facilitating participatory co-creation workshops that explore democratic participation and democratic innovations. It is designed for educators, policymakers, civil society organisations and community leaders who wish to engage diverse stakeholders in meaningful dialogue and collaborative problem-solving. The toolkit provides structured guidance while remaining flexible enough to be tailored to different contexts and groups.

• Democracy Labs Game is a print-and-play serious tabletop game for 2 to 5 players that creates a structured yet playful environment to support discussion, critical reflection and idea generation around democratic innovations. By combining elements of gameplay with real-world challenges, it encourages participants to explore new approaches to strengthening democratic practices.

Both resources are freely available online, offering educators, policymakers and civic organisations concrete tools to experiment with new approaches to citizen engagement and democratic renewal.