Citizen Lab

Citizens Lab is a website aimed at encouraging active citizenship, with the broader scope of promoting good governance, rule of law and human rights. The project is targeted at civil society organisations and youth in particular. By providing them with a platform and a space to connect, we hope to foster an environment where citizens feel inspired and supported to take more of an active role in their community.

The public is invited to register on the website to access its services, which include:

- Access to educational/informational materials and courses to develop human rights awareness amongst other skills
- Professional support and practical assistance through an Advisory Board of Experts. These experts include conservationists, lawyers, sustainability consultants and more
- A platform to connect, discuss and debate which will serve to strengthen the capacity of civic voices and empower the general public
- Information on events and lesser- known community initiatives around Malta, giving more exposure to the third sector

Why promote active citizenship? Recent reports such as ‘The Rule of Law in Malta’ and ‘Governance in the EU Member States – Evidence from Three Global Indicators’, make reference to a major decline in Malta’s international rankings related to governance, rule of law, democracy and freedom of expression. Many are aware of this, but feel helpless about it. Through this website, we want to remind the public that the smallest actions within our communities can be a catalyst for change.

Citizens Lab also understands the need for a different approach to bring people together, which is why we called the platform a lab. We hope to be able to use the space to experiment with new ways of tackling issues seriously threatening the wellbeing our society. We invite the public to get in touch with ideas for collaboration.

The project is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and Norway Grant and implemented by SOS Malta.