Saha Balaganesh

Why Democratic Society?

Because the people make the democracy, and more people need to have a say in the policies that affect their lives.

Where I'm based: Brussels, Belgium

Languages I speak: English, Dutch, Hindi, Tamil

Saha is the Network Engagement Lead at Democratic Society. Saha brings her economics expertise and experience in youth participation to lead and develop Democratic Society’s role across Europe, focusing on building a democratic infrastructure and thinking about how citizen engagement can be embedded in policy. She is a European Commission recognised expert on citizen engagement and participatory democracy and played a major role in leading the evaluation of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Saha is also an award-winning debater and coach of advanced public speaking and negotiation.

3 things I’m learning

• A lot of our work involves engaging many people across several parallel-running projects, and our days are almost never the same as the previous day, so every day is a learning experience of many new things!
• As someone who has many hobbies and takes on projects outside of work, managing my time effectively has become something I’m mindful of, and I’m learning how to do that better every day!
• I’m always trying to read and learn more about the economics behind the things happening in today’s world.