JRRT’s work is driven by a concern that the ongoing erosion of trust in the political class and our democratic institutions is creating a moment of crisis for democracy. For a long time, JRRT has been interested in getting a better understanding of who is working on democracy issues and how.
One of the top priorities from the survey we conducted of our grantees last year was a better understanding of who was campaigning on what democracy issues. With that in mind, we commissioned Koreo to create the UK Democracy Map. This exciting initiative is intended to assist those working or campaigning on democracy, by helping people find each other, making their work more visible and promoting collaboration and information-sharing. Please share it far and wide and encourage those who work on democracy to add their details.
There is a taxonomy to draw on, to help describe work on democracy. This was created following Koreo’s discussions with many democracy campaigners. There is also a report Mapping the Democracy Movement, describing how the map was developed.
Developing the map
We are very keen to see the UK Democracy Map grow as a response to the needs of the sector.
Whether you are a funder, think tank, academic institution, single-issue campaign, empowering young people through political and media literacy, seeking to improve the digital public space, encouraging more people to get involved in decision-making, or working on one of the many other aspects of democracy, please do add yourself to the map.
As you can see, democracy work comes in all shapes and sizes, not all of them obvious. Part of the job of the map is to help people realise they are not alone in wanting people to be able to take better and more informed decisions about their lives, who represents us, and the way our communities are governed.
If you have thoughts on how the map can be refined, improved and promoted, or simply wish to discuss the work of your organisation with JRRT, please get in touch.
Photo by Leah Kelley from Pexels