Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Municipality of Milan and Fondazione Cariplo together in the first event dedicated to civic activism in the digital age

Milan, November 13 2019 – 'Milan Participates' is an event promoted by the Municipality of Milan and the Cariplo Foundation which was created with the aim of stimulating discussion and participation in public life and creating awareness of the role that everyone can play, to foster a renewed sense of belonging and community. From 22nd to 24th November, Milan will be the laboratory for meeting the challenges of the contemporary world and questioning the future of democracy in the digital age. Debates, meetings and round tables will address the issues of the rule of law and the governance of public affairs, in a global context in which the digitalisation process has rapidly and profoundly changed not only the methods of interpersonal interaction but also of access to information . Hence the need, collected by 'milano partecipa', to involve citizens in a plural initiative open to dialogue which contributes to providing the tools to interpret the current reality and which, through shared paths, strengthens civic awareness to become bearers of interests and collective projects.

The event, the result of the collaboration between the Department of Participation, Active Citizenship and Open Data of the Municipality of Milan and the Cariplo Foundation, will be held at the Mudec auditorium - Museum of Cultures, in the Cariplo Factory spaces and at the Visconti Pavilion of the Teatro alla Scala, all in the former Ansaldo area, in via Tortona in Milan, as well as in some external locations. The promoters made use of an organizational committee and a scientific committee, responsible for supporting the preparation of the program.

“In recent years – declares Lorenzo Lipparini, councilor for Participation, Active Citizenship and Open Data – the Municipality of Milan has been a ground for experimentation and innovation for quality participatory paths and new methods of shared administration of common goods, in which citizens are protagonists . 'Milan Participates' will be the opportunity to show all this together with the many organizations that are active in the city and working to increase the scope of citizenship rights. We will retrace the work done, from participatory budgeting to collaboration agreements, and we will lay the foundations for new initiatives, a digital platform and an overall review of the rules of participation that set new and challenging standards for all administrations. I thank all those who are working on the preparation of this event, in particular the Cariplo Foundation which has supported us, as on many other occasions, in the creation of innovative and strategic projects for the lives of citizens".

The Scientific Committee, chaired by Giuseppe Guzzetti (former President of the Cariplo Foundation) and coordinated by Davide Usai, is made up of Gregorio Arena (Full Professor and President of Labsus), Luca De Biase (Sole 24 Ore, innovation and technology expert, manager of Nòva), Fiorella De Cindio (Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science of the State University of Milan), Germano Lanzoni (actor, speaker and professor at the University of Milan-Bicocca), Maurizia Villa (Managing Director of Korn Ferry International ).

'milano partecipa' is divided into events organized by the Municipality of Milan and the Cariplo Foundation and over 100 meetings organized thanks to the proposals received through a public invitation, to which the most diverse entities responded - from the public sector to the corporate sector, through non-profit and individual citizens - including Circolo Reteambiente, Consulta Peripheres Milan, Coordination of Milanese Committees, Public Function Department of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Errante, Fondazione di Comunità Milano, Forevergreen, Job Farm, FPA - Forum PA, House264, Ascolto Attivo, Associazione Circola , Polytechnic of Milan, RCM Foundation, Lambrate Participatory Democracy Laboratory, Mani Tese Onlus, Manuia - Policies for Happiness, Milano Positiva, AiP2, Collaborative practice, Nextdoor, Milan Bar Association, SIFA, Società di Milano, Systasis, Transparency International Italia , and numerous others.

The meeting program is entirely available on the website  https://www.milanopartecipa.com/programma/

Over the course of three days, four highly topical areas of reflection will be explored through meetings, workshops, conferences, debates and round tables:

1. Digitalization of the democratic process: How do information technologies influence the choice of the political agenda? How is consensus formed in the age of new media? To what extent does the boundless availability of information online produce distorting effects? How does politics adapt and respond to these trends?