My journey
with democracy
My commitment to a fully citizen-centered democratic future began in 2012, born from an ideal alignment of circumstances and chance—the ingredients behind the most impactful encounters. That year, I observed Irish Constitutional Convention. This groundbreaking democratic innovation, bringing together 66 randomly selected citizens and 33 politicians, profoundly shaped my perspective on politics. While in Paris, citizens and police were clashing over the proposed legalization of same-sex marriage, in Dublin, citizens and parliamentarians were engaging in reasoned and respectful dialogue on the same topic.
Driven by the conviction that citizens' assemblies are a key tool to address thorny political issues in increasingly divided societies with growing mistrust of political institutions, I took on the role of co-coordinator of the G1000 upon returning to Belgium. This citizen movement, initiated by David Van Reybrouck, launched a citizens’ assembly of 1,000 randomly selected individuals during a time when political parties were paralyzed, unable to reach an agreement after 541 days of crisis.​
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Since then, over more than a decade, I’ve had the privilege of contributing to the rise of this deliberative wave across the globe—from Australia to Lebanon, Kosovo, The Gambia, and the United States—through political advocacy, training, strategic reflections, and methodological support. One of my proudest achievements is the establishment of deliberative committees in Brussels—a world first that institutionalizes the collaboration between randomly selected citizens and parliamentarians.
Jonathan is one of the gems of our deliberative democracy community. His vision, steady hand and iterative work with the Brussels Parliament’s deliberative committees have been a true lesson in taking the long view and tending to our work - every kernel of democratic innovation has to be seeded and nurtured. Anyone looking for a bold yet measured approach, one that balances experimentation with rigor, should seek Jonathan.
Marjan Horst Ehsassi - Executive Director, FIDE North America
Let's talk about your project
Your request is unique, and finding the right solution requires a tailored approach. I encourage you to reach out so we can explore it together and identify the best way forward.
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You can contact me in french, dutch or english.