The NECE Jury is composed of experts and stakeholders who are dedicated to advancing democracy and civic education in Europe. As a crucial part of NECE, the Jury supports us in shaping the future of NECE’s flagship activities, which include the NECE Campus and NECE Festival.
The primary responsibility of the NECE Jury is to facilitate the selection of applications for ideas from a diverse range of actors, including NGOs, influencers, artists, informal groups, community leaders, and others. NECE Jury members bring essential expertise and knowledge to ensure that the ideas selected represent the diverse needs and interests of civic educators and activists across Europe. Through their commitment to civic education and democracy, the Jury plays a significant role in shaping the future of NECE.
JURY
Ulaş Bayraktar was an associate professor of political science until he was expelled from the university with hundreds of colleagues for being among the petitioners of a call for peace. He then founded a café library (Kültürhane) with other expelled scholars in Mersin, Turkey. Since then, they organise talks, meetings, and social events to sustain their relationship with the public and continue to read, reflect, write and publish for the public good.
Tomaž Deželan is Professor of Political Science at the University of Ljubljana. He pursued a research career at various research institutions and holds a Jean Monnet Chair in Citizenship Education. Prof. Deželan is a member of the Pool of European Youth Researchers of the Youth Partnership (Council of Europe and European Commission) and acts as an expert on youth, political participation, employability and quality enhancement/assurance in education. He has coordinated research and application projects and has collaborated with numerous international governmental and non-governmental organisations and initiatives as well as governments. He is author or co-author of numerous articles, and chapters in edited volumes, as well as policy, position and advocacy papers for various organisations.
Claudia Giampietri brings a wealth of experience from her tenure in the international not-for-profit sector, where she adeptly managed diverse programs and operations in challenging environments across various thematic areas. Prior to her current role as Director at Healthy Food Healthy Planet, she served with a global philanthropy, fostering close collaborations with civil society partners across Europe. Facilitating processes that bridged civil society and philanthropy, Claudia champions participatory and inclusive grant-making practices. Her commitment to fostering impactful partnerships and driving inclusive initiatives underscores her dedication to creating positive change on a global scale.
Dr. Dora Katsamori is a research associate at NCSR ‘Demokritos’ and a post-doctoral researcher at the University of the Peloponnese in the field of citizenship and non-formal education and inclusion. She has a long experience as project coordinator and researcher in European and nationally funded research projects, as well as educator in the field of civic and political education, mainly working with youth and people who come from socially disadvantaged groups (refugees, immigrants, prisoners, etc). She is also working as consultant for the European Wergeland Center in the field of refugee education in Greece.
Rafael López Meseguer is Professor of Research Methods in Education at the Universidad Internacional de la Rioja (UNIR). PhD in Political Science at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, where he also obtained a degree in Political Science and Administration and a Master’s degree in Democracy and Government. He also regularly collaborates with the European Foundation Society and Education (EFSE). He has published research articles in national and international journals and book chapters on topics such as civic education and evaluation of educational programmes.
Alicja Pacewicz is Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of Center for Citizenship Education, a leading Polish NGO working in quality education, civic engagement and school reform. She co-authored numerous programmes, publications, and textbooks on citizenship education and competencies for democratic culture. Alicja is also an expert and trainer in instruction and assessment methods, professional development and open learning environments. She serves as the Chairperson of the Board of School with Class Foundation implementing the whole school approach to develop key competencies for lifelong and life-wide learning. She co-created the SOS for Education coalition and the Free School campaign to prevent changes in educational law. For her merits in building civil society, she was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2011).
A lawyer and sociologist after studies at University of Warsaw, Filip Pazderski has also graduated from European Master’s Degree Program in Human Rights and Democratization in Venice. Senior Policy Analyst and Director of the Democracy and Civil Society Program of the Institute of Public Affairs. He carried out research and wrote reports for such entities as OSCE ODIHR, EESC, Council of Europe, IDEA, OSEPI, National Democratic Institute, Network of European Foundations, Office of Polish Senate, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and Educational Research Institute. A vice-President of the European Civic Forum (ECF).
Lola Velarde is Director of Development at the European Foundation Society and Education, a think tank for reflection about contemporary and strategic issues in education. Holds a degree in Forest Engineering and a PhD at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Has been Associate Professor at the School of Environmental Science at the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid (2000-2008) and Visiting Researcher at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (2004-2006). Has participated in the Global Civil Society Seminar organised by the Harvard Kennedy School and the Rafael del Pino Foundation in September 2021 (online) and October 2022 (in person).
