About Us

Democracy Fitness was developed because there was a lack of a training space where we could come together and discuss democracy – to exercise our democracy muscles. Democracy is not something we should take for granted. A healthy democracy with broad participation and a good culture of conversation and debate does not exist without actively cultivating and training it.

If we are to have a strong democracy, we must continually develop it and strengthen democratic participation among all groups in our society.

Thanks to the Democratic Stage Association, the concept was first tested at Folkemødet (the People’s Meeting) in 2017 with a positive response. Since then, the German Bosh Foundation, Tuborg Foundation, and most recently the Nordea Foundation have supported the further development of the concept. This means that in recent years, we have held many training sessions and masterclasses where we have trained groups and trained many new trainers – mostly in Denmark but also internationally.

Today, Democracy Fitness is anchored with the Democracy Garage Association and the social-economic company We Do Democracy, which operates this website and serves as the secretariat.

FACTS ABOUT DEMOCRACY FITNESS
  • Developed in 2017
  • 500+ Democracy Fitness Trainers
  • 15,000+ have tried Democracy Fitness
  • 16 Danish partners nationwide
  • Democracy Fitness trainers trained from Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia, Sweden, Japan, Switzerland, and South Korea.

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY FITNESS?

Become better at disagreement, listen more actively, or discover that you are braver than you think.

Democracy Fitness is a tool to focus on the essential skills of everyday democracy.

Through 30-minute training programs dedicated to 10 different democracy muscles, participants are reminded that they themselves are the most crucial ingredient of democracy.

Without our courage, empathy, curiosity, diverse opinions, and active actions, there would be no democratic development of our society. But it also requires practice to actively listen, use our voice, explore disagreements, mobilize each other, and find good compromises in a fast-paced everyday life.

Democracy Fitness reminds us that democracy is not something distant or for a specific group. Democracy is all of us, and something we all need to practice – every day throughout our lives. At the same time, Democracy Fitness is a space where we challenge ourselves to become better democratic citizens.

And it’s active and fun at the same time!! 💪🏽🥳

Democracy Fitness is the ice-breaker where we are reminded that democracy is not something dangerous or distant. Democracy is all of us and it is something we practice – everyday, for the rest of our lives.

FOUNDERS