On 12 and 13 March, Sofia A. Santos took part, at the invitation of NECE – Networking European Civic Education, in the NECE Prep Lab: TRUST, held in Lisbon. The initiative was organised by The CIVICS Innovation Hub, in partnership with IPAV, and hosted at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

The meeting formed part of the preparatory process for the NECE Festival 2026 and brought together Portuguese civil society organisations and European partners within the NECE network.

Over two days of work, participants reflected on the festival’s central theme, TRUST, analysing current challenges to trust in European societies—namely polarisation, inequalities, and social fragmentation—as well as the essential role of education in strengthening democracy.

This gathering marked the start of a series of initiatives that will culminate in the NECE Festival 2026, to be held in October in Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais.