The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is one of the strongest examples of participatory democracy in the world. It gives European citizens a unique way to shape the EU. Citizens can invite the European Commission to propose new laws. If an initiative collects one million valid signatures, the Commission must decide what action to take.
Yet, the ECI is still not widely known. To change this, the Commission supports a network of ambassadors in all Member States. Their role is to promote the initiative, communicate about it, and raise awareness among citizens.
Each year, these ambassadors meet in Brussels. They share best practices, connect with each other, and exchange ideas. They leave with new inspiration and fresh energy to act in their local communities.
For the third year in a row, I was invited to join them. My role was to visually capture the essence of their conversations, workshops, and exchanges. For participants, these visual notes are a valuable memory. They help them recall what was said, how they felt, and the energy of the group.
For me, this work is about using visual thinking to support others. It is about contributing to the European project and its most innovative initiatives. It also shows that imperfect, hand-drawn notes made live can have more impact than a perfect, but distant, AI-generated summary.