Vita

Juli Katz is a science journalist with a particular interest in rural areas. She was part of the team that launched KATAPULT magazine and has been working as a freelance ‘supra-regional local journalist’ and writer since 2024. In LAND. magazine, she writes the column ‘Juli Katz hält an’, and for the Campact blog she writes about topics including urban-rural conflicts. Together with Katharina Warda and Heike Kleffner, she covered the 2026 state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on the podcast “Kipppunkt Ost – Wie der Osten die Demokratie entscheidet” (Tipping Point East – How the East Decides Democracy), with a particular focus on voices from civil society.

Project

Behind the Garden Fence – Democracy Hacks for Rural Areas

Together with researchers from the Käte Hamburger Kolleg, Juli Katz is developing three podcast episodes that explore the need for a safe space for these projects. What networks, structures and little tricks help initiatives to operate safely and sustainably? After all, anyone launching a democratic project in a rural area often finds themselves on their own: volunteers come under pressure, face hostility or burn out; funding dries up; and support from the city is a long way off. The episodes combine reporting, interviews and academic analysis, and show how democracy can be strengthened precisely where it is under the greatest pressure.