Julen Figueras is a Spanish activist, especially engaged since the emergence of the 15M Movement in Madrid, 2011. He combines his current studies with academic research on social movements and digital media, as well as new institutional alternatives like the Spanish Podemos. He has recently contributed to the edited book “Promoting Social Change and Democracy through Information Technology” (eds. Vikas Kumar & Jakob Svensson), with a case study on the 15M Movement as an ‘Internetworked Social Movement’.

Mindaugas Jocbalis moved to the UK from Lithuania in 2004 with his family, and is a now a member of an optimist community of post-Soviet EU economic migrants. A recently emerged interest in political activism, world affairs, development, and the influence of alternative media, spurred his fascination with ComDev. In his professional life, Mindaugas has a degree in marketing communications and works as a buyer for a major manufacturer.

Maria Isabel Marques da Silva is a Portuguese national, who moved to Belgium, in 2011, to work as Correspondent in European Affairs for the Portuguese language service of Euronews. She has been a journalist for the last 20 years, mainly in TV and online platforms, covering international and development affairs. She has produced in-depth reports in a dozen EU member states, as well as in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Vietnam, Burma, and Afghanistan, to name but a few. She combines her studies in Communication for Development with a temporary position at a UN Information Center.

Michael O’Regan hails from the Atlantic Coast of Ireland, where he works as a carer. An academic background in political science and critical theory has fueled his ongoing interest in the relationship between culture and governance. These days, though, the greatest of his intellectual exertions are devoted to unpacking the teachings of Arthur Lydiard and Mihály Iglói.