Dare to get involved to transform democracy

In his Guide to Daring to Get Involved in Local Political Life (Rue de l'échiquier, 2018 and 2019), Christian Proust was able to take up a challenge: to give the French the keys to getting involved in politics themselves and thus promoting the emergence of participatory lists in local elections, in particular during the 2020 municipal elections. Faced with the often depressing practices of the political world, what better way to fight against the weariness of citizens than to make them want to take action? This "volume 2" highlights "those who dared", their approach from the meeting of a core of a few volunteers until their election... or their non-election. Having collected their testimonies, Christian Proust tells the story of 14 civic and participatory lists: their journey to agree on values, to build their project, to develop the notoriety of a collective, to identify the list of candidates, to appoint the head list, organize the campaign, create in-between-round alliances… or not. In a second part, the author recounts in detail the journey of five of these lists, which won the elections, in five municipalities of different sizes. At the end of the book, practical sheets present tools from popular education to act and decide together. From project to reality: how civic and participatory lists have engaged in local life and are renewing political practices.