My e-Participation Story | Page 15

My first experience with online tools for citizenship was timid; however I was so eager to try it. So I decided to sign my first petition to include Christmas Eve into the list of celebrated days in Lithuania. After a short period of time when Lithuanian Parliament adopted the petition into our Labour Code I was very satisfied. It was a proof that voices of citizens could be heard; only assertiveness is necessary. Quite soon I’ve registered as a volunteer on the European Norstat Portal of online surveys. Through the portal I am often invited to express my opinion through various surveys concerning life of European citizens. In this way I feel part of a larger community. This is my opportunity to contribute to our world through the screen of a computer. The possibilities of online participation are immense with the internet. It is a window to new ideas as well. I am also registered on the Electronic Platform to Adult Learning in Europe EPALE where I search for new lifelong learning project ideas and participate in public discussions (my personal profile: http:// ec.europa.eu/epale/lt/tags/reginadovidaviciute). I am glad to see these changes in my country: Lithuanian governmental institutions are also progressing with e-participation possibilities for local people. The newly updated platforms of “My Government” and “e-tar.lt” allow to quickly find relevant legal acts, but even more important – they provide a possibility for citizens to express their opinions about newly introduced legislation. At the moment we are using e-participation platform together with my colleagues from University of the Third Age community to make suggestions to the decisions of Ministry of Education and Science regarding the legislation of non-formal education in Lithuania. For me, as a senior person, the internet has w