Are you passionate about citizen participation and political engagement? Are you established in citizen participation (on or offline), and are able to reach out to everyone in your community? Do you have experience and excitement for fostering meaningful discussions, even among those who do not engage usually? We are looking for Community Outreach and Engagement Ambassadors to help connect researchers to communities we want to engage.
Interfaced
The INTERFACED project aims to explore how people have participated in politics since the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by declining trust in democracy and science, as well as increasing social divisions and inequalities. The project’s main goal is to understand the different ways citizens interact with political institutions and to see how well these interactions allow for genuine citizen participation in decision-making and governance.
By studying how citizens and governments interact, INTERFACED intends to improve democratic systems and encourage more people, especially those who are less engaged or more disadvantaged, to get involved in politics. The project will also offer practical policy recommendations to make political systems more inclusive, reduce barriers to participation, and ensure that democracies work for everyone.
INTERFACED (Interfaces for Democratic Participation: Deliberation, Mobilization and Contestation Since the Onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic) is a three year Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action Project funded by European Research Executive Agency under the project number: 101178268
The consortium working on the project is coordinated by the CITY ST. GEORGE’S UNIVERSITY OF LONDON (CITY) and sees the participation of:
- EDGERYDERS OU (EDGE)
- UNIVERSIDAD CARLOS III DE MADRID (UC3M)
- UNIVERSITATEA BABES-BOLYAI (UBB)
- HUN-REN TARSADALOMTUDOMANYI KUTATOKOZPONT (CSS HUN-REN)
- UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PARMA (UNIPR)
- KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET (UCPH)
- JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE-UNIVERSITAET FRANKFURT AM MAIN (GUF)
- DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY (DCU)
- EUROPEAN CITIZEN ACTION SERVICE (ECAS)
- JASMINE FOUNDATION (JFRC)
Edgeryders’ role
Edgeryders is hosting a community-driven online forum to explore the political participation of disadvantaged and disengaged citizens, particularly since 2020, starting from the Covid-19 pandemic, but not limited to it.
We aim to gather insights on the challenges faced by marginalized groups, including young people and people living in rural areas, and evaluate how various participation interfaces work across different political contexts in Europe and Tunisia. Through participant interactions and ethnographic methods, we seek to deepen our understanding of political participation trends and identify ways to strengthen citizens’ engagement with democratic institutions.
Our Ideal Candidate:
- Has substantial experience in citizen engagement or advocacy (formal or informal)
- Has an established network of peers/colleagues/comrades in communities that engage in political advocacy
- Has the capacity and/or resources to reach out to hard-to-reach and disengaged communities. The roles and positions within these communities can be flexible and situational.
- Is passionate about democracy, civic expression, social movements, and public participation.
- Is familiar with digital platforms for civic participation (e.g., Polis, Decidim, and similar).
- Has strong communication skills and ability to foster and facilitate inclusive discussions.
- Comfortable working in a multilingual, multicultural, and geographically distributed setting.
- It would be a plus if fellowship candidates could navigate various settings and adjust their roles as needed.
Key Responsibilities:
- Identify and connect the researchers with a sizable pool of potential interviewees (e.g. 10-15 per month) and research participants from communities under study (Austria, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Tunisia)
- Organize a minimum of 2 engaging, interactive events per year. These can be talks, workshops with an audience participation component, for discussing the issues of citizen engagement (in real life and online).
- Help recruit research participants to become involved in the Edgeryders platform
- Collaborate and coordinate with the research team to refine engagement strategies and to identify emergent key themes and insights to inform and iterate the research process.
How to Apply and Application Procedure
- Application Submission:
Please send your CV and a motivation letter to ivan@edgeryders.eu by the June 30th, 2025. Applications are reviewed as they are received, so early applications are encouraged. - Selection Process:
The recruitment process includes two rounds of interviews. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received. We will take 2–3 weeks to evaluate each application and will contact selected candidates to proceed to the interview stage. Successful candidates will be invited to a second interview before final selection. - Start Date:
The starting time is negotiable and will depend on your availability, but the latest possible start date is September 1st, 2025. - Remuneration and Engagement:
The fellowship offers a total remuneration up to €9,450 over 3 years, depending on your level of engagement. We are looking to select 4 fellows from the countries specified in the call. - Freelance Status:
This is a freelance position funded as part of a Horizon Europe research project. Fellows are responsible for ensuring their own legal status (such as freelance registration, tax compliance, and social security) in their respective countries. - Eligibility:
Please note that applicants must be residents of the countries specified in the call. - Get to Know Us:
We encourage you to explore our platform and share your thoughts on the topic at Interfaced - Edgeryders. While this is not mandatory, it’s a great way for us to get to know you better.
If you have any questions about the application process or your eligibility, please don’t hesitate to reach out.