Jeff is the author of the Council of Europe’s Participatory Democracy Academy and has trained and mentored local government officials and NGO leaders throughout Europe. He has extensive experience in helping different demographic groups, including Youth Councils, to engage in policymaking – and joined the board of Young Speakers Scotland as he firmly believes in encouraging and inspiring schoolchildren to play a full part in debates on where society is heading and to make their voices count. After more than a decade as a journalist and editor in the UK and Central Europe, he served as Communications Director of the global secretariat of Transparency International, then as Executive Director of the PASOS international network of think-tanks. Jeff has advised the Council of Europe, United Nations Development Program, European Commission and USAID, and served for four years as a member of the International Experts Panel of the Open Government Partnership.
Jeff is at home in both Airdrie and Prague.