VoxPop at the Politechnikum

“Is it the responsibility of civil society to take a stand on public issues?” — this was the core question we explored with students at the Budapest Politechnikum, as we learned together about how civil society works and reflected on its role and responsibility in our everyday lives.

The session was built around VoxPop, an interactive debate game developed by our member organization, the Democratic Youth Foundation. In VoxPop, there are no right or wrong answers — only opinions, arguments, and the respectful clash of perspectives. The game is designed to provide a safe space for learning and critical thinking, where participants can listen to each other, refine their views, and feel empowered to express their thoughts openly.

The students’ active engagement and insightful contributions confirmed what we already believed: young people are absolutely open to engaging in public dialogue when given the space and trust to do so. The heart of a VoxPop debate isn’t about winning — it’s about structured conversation: daring to ask questions, taking a stance through reasoning, and even reconsidering our own views.