Dear friends of My Country Talks,

Hello! February has ended, and spring is around the corner for our team in Berlin. And with spring comes the launch of Europe Talks 2024 — just 4 weeks away! We have been busy finalizing this year’s program, together with our pan-European network of 13 media partners. Read on for the full February update. 

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Europe Talks 2024 kicks off!

Today was the kick-off meeting for Europe Talks 2024 media partner network. Thirteen leading independent media organizations from across Europe will work together to create this year’s cross-border dialogue program. From April until the EU Parliament elections in June, thousands of Europeans will meet for a constructive debate.

What is Europe Talks?  

In 2024, almost half of European countries, as well as the EU Parliament, will hold elections. With multiple global crises, rising extremism, and a surge of disinformation, it’s more important than ever for Europeans to connect across borders. Europe Talks 2024 makes that possible.

Europe Talks matches Europeans with totally distinct perspectives for a one-on-one debate online. Participants sign up by answering a few questions about issues facing Europe, such as migration, security, or climate change. Each person who registers will be matched with someone in a different European country who also holds different opinions from them.

Registrations for Europe Talks will start at the end of March. Subscribe to this newsletter and follow us on Instagram for updates!

There’s still time to join the media partner network! As a media partner, you will connect your readers to thousands of Europeans for a constructive debate before the EU elections. You also get exclusive access to create reader-centered stories that go beyond the usual election coverage. 

If you’re interested, reach out to Sara Cooper - sara.cooper@mycountrytalks.org

MCT speaks with the German Federal President

My Country Talks project lead Hanna Israel was invited to speak on a panel about deliberative democracy at the office of the German Bundespräsident. The panel was part of a day-long event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz). The panel covered the best practices for open dialogue, and the state of expression and democratic debate in Germany today.

You can watch a recording here

What we're reading 

You may have seen a viral graph on social media last month which shows a growing ideology gap between women and men. The share of women who identify as liberal is rising, but men are just as conservative as 25 years ago. The split is most striking among men and women aged 18-29, with a 15-point gap between conservatives and liberals. 

What does this data mean? The Gallup study explores how Americans have changed their political affiliation (or not) in the last 25 years. 

A follow-up article from the Financial Times shows that this isn’t just an American trend. Data from Germany and the UK show a similar split, and men and women are nearly 50 points apart in South Korea! Read the full article for more.