Raphaël Culliford is the General Delegate of Parlons Démocratie, an association aimed at providing young French citizens with the tools and skills they need. The association, currently scaling up, has already raised awareness among 20,000 young people about the values and functioning of democratic institutions in 2024. It addresses a growing need for civic and moral education in the face of societal tensions and rising abstention rates. 

Before taking on this role, Raphaël worked at the office of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) on organizing citizens’ conventions and institutional processes to integrate participatory democracy into our institutions. 

He co-founded Elan Communication, an agency dedicated to supporting social and solidarity economy structures in their digital communication, and served as president of Global Shapers Lyon, a World Economic Forum association working on education issues. 

Raphaël teaches at several schools, including emlyon business school, ESP Ecole Supérieure de Publicité, and Ecologika. 

His academic background is marked by an atypical path: he struggled in secondary school. After obtaining a vocational baccalaureate in sales and facing difficulties in secondary education, he managed to enter Sciences Po Paris, where he earned a Master’s degree in International Public Management.