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New SHAPE-collaboration on citizen engagement: 'Orientering’ – The democratic conversation moves out

The democratic conversation in Denmark is challenged, and the polarized debate on social media discourages many - especially young people - from participating in the public debate. A group of master's students at AU have set out to change this with the development of a new app that will facilitate democratic conversations on topical, political issues among young citizens in Aarhus Municipality.

"According to the 2022 democracy analysis prepared by the Danish Youth Council, half of the young people surveyed believe that the tone of the online public debate makes them less willing to voice their opinion. Our vision is to create a conversation space where you can be curious, immerse yourself and engage is discussions on difficult political topics." - Julie Laura Risager & Lukas Oliver Lindgren  

The 'Orientering' app takes citizens on a walk through Aarhus while presenting them with a range of perspectives and questions on difficult debates related to topics such as gender, surveillance and green transition.

"The app facilitates a kind of democratic "orientation race" around Aarhus. As you walk from post to post, you are presented with a series of questions that encourage conversations about difficult political topics and discussions about "for and against" different positions within a given debate." - Julie Laura Risager

The urban space itself also plays an important role in the conversational space created by the app: each entry on the route relates to the particular topic of discussion or question the app presents to users - for example, an entry at KØN - Gender Museum Denmark can open up a conversation about gender-neutral social security numbers. By using urban space as a starting point to open up difficult political topics, the project's creators hope to make the debate more present and engage young Aarhus residents in particular - also in local political topics.

"By walking this route and being presented with reflection questions, we can give young citizens the experience of having their say in smaller groups. This will hopefully create a greater will to discuss and engage in the democratic dialogue" - Julie Laura Risager

The app is still under development, and the project, which originated in the master's program in Humanistic Innovation, will now continue as part of SHAPE, where Julie Laura Risager (MA student in Rhetoric, AU) and Lukas Oliver Lindgren (MA student in Philosophy, AU) will during the coming months further develop the concept and explore opportunities for relevant partners. 

If you are interested in or have questions about the project, Julie and Lukas can be contacted at au704289@uni.au.dk and lukas.lindgren@cc.au.dk.