Empowering democratic participation and action

Agnete Neidel is the founder of iDialog. She fights to make people with lived experience key partners in the development of better welfare solutions.

She does this by designing and facilitating processes to give the people in question a voice. And to encourage dialogue across perspectives.

Advises and supports organisations

Agnete assists organisations in developing strategies, decision-making structures and competencies that provide easier access to influence for the people with actual lived experience as well as more room for co-creation.

She does this, for example, through collaborations with organisations such as Save the Children, where she helps them strengthen children's voice and participation. Or when she helps the Velux Foundation involve people with lived experience in the foundation's grant-making work.

Agnete also helps people organise themselves so they can make their own voices heard in the public debate and welfare development. For example, as coordinator of Voices for Home - a group of young people with experience of homelessness who are in the process of building their own organisation.

Bringing the voice of young people to play

IDialog believes that we need to democratise the way we work with welfare development. The goal is to build capacity in organisations to involve more of the people with lived experience.

In Agnete's experience, people can and will contribute if the setting is right. Even in the most vulnerable life situations.

"This requires developing a new approach to democratic involvement so we can encompass chaotic life situations or deep mistrust to the system."


- Agnete Neidel, Founder