About
This Journal is the way we at Fundación Platoniq open the doors to our world(s). Here you will find in-depth articles (deep dives), interviews and other content related to our lines of activity (Future Culture, Democratic Innovation, Citizen Empowerment, Social Economy and cooperativism).
The Journal will be especially focused on the participation and influence of citizens in public decisions or in their own organisations. It also works as a platform for initiatives of this kind to be known and researched.
But first of all, you might want to know…
Who are we and what do we do?
Platoniq Foundation designs digital participatory processes and facilitates innovative participatory methodologies to help build more democratic and just societies and organisations, making use of open civic technologies.
It is also the driving force behind the civic crowdfunding platform Goteo.org, where initiatives with a social impact are financed at regional, national and international level. It also promotes cooperativism and strengthens the Social Economy. For this reason, the Foundation is part of the XES (Xarxa d’Economia Solidària de Catalunya).
Platoniq Foundation promotes transparency, collaborative and ethical economy, democratic innovation and the replicability of experiences. It is financed via partnerships with public and private institutions that share its mission and vision. We have 23 employees in our offices in Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Palma (head office and tax office) and a team of collaborators in Spain and other European countries.
What is our mission?
To promote an inclusive democratic culture and the social economy, based on collaborative governance, sustainability and participation through open civic technologies, innovation, access to finance and creativity.
What are our values?
- Courage, curiosity and ambition in tackling difficult or unexplored challenges.
- Hacker spirit
- Creativity as a way of doing politics and a stimulus for collective action
- Generosity and collaboration. Sharing and creating free knowledge
- Search for excellence and uniqueness in terms of social impact
- Adaptability to solve the social gaps that are detected through the activity and relations with communities
- Coherence and fidelity in the commitments acquired
- Fostering freedom with individual responsibility and respect for the difference.
- Search for the wellbeing of the human team by promoting participation, personal motivation and flexibility
- Search for fairness in decisions and actions above economic interests or favouritism, promoting consensus and dialogue
- The autonomy and self-management of human teams and their promotion in all their activities
- An organisational culture that is always open and proactive to improvement and change.
- Internationality from the Mediterranean
Where are we heading?
In 2021 we started a collective process to design the Platoniq Foundation’s strategic plan for 2022-2025. With this planning we created the desired future we want to head towards as an organisation. From this process, we came up with the four main lines of action in which the Foundation’s activity is encompassed.
FUTURE CULTURE
All the activities that, through culture, research and communication and dissemination strategies, help dialogue, research and social transformation, to generate more democratic and fairer societies, to end the digital gap and to provide safer spaces for collaboration and citizen participation. Among them, the compilation and dissemination of documentation containing participatory processes and methodologies, digital content, gamified dynamics, games and creative activities. Also, the design of processes and activities for collaborative governance and the reuse of Europe’s digital and physical heritage.
SOCIAL ECONOMY
All activities for the management, training and strengthening of the Social Economy, ethical financing and crowdfunding and participatory democratic culture, especially in the fields of social entrepreneurship and secondary and university education. These include activities such as: the management and promotion of the crowdfunding platform Goteo; the dissemination, training and funding of citizen and organisation initiatives; consultancy in the use of ICTs and digital communication. Likewise, the promotion and creation of employment, self-employment and new cooperatives.
INCLUSIVE DEMOCRATIC INNOVATION
All activities necessary for innovation, IT development, exploitation and maintenance of civic and/or open source digital platforms, including crowdfunding and collaborative tools, such as Goteo.org and citizen participation tools such as Decidim.org. Also the care, archiving and maintenance of databases and documentation related to these digital civic tools.
CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT
All the necessary activities of cooperation and collaboration with other organisations and initiatives such as: the creation of consortia and/or national, European or international projects; the creation of institutes and research groups; alliances and participation in networks with civic organisations, institutions and other entities that work with disadvantaged groups or those with difficulties in accessing information and growth.
