Understand / Define / Ideate
I discovered a great article by Kieran Stowers and Meg Howie of the Design & Democracy project on the solution to youth voting.
The Design & Democracy Project of Massey University [Site]
Design & Democracy target youth voting and agree that the system is way too outdated for youth to interact and relate to let alone understand. They talked about a key point that I tried to touch on in my last post; the reason youth voting is still decreasing is that they are basically too smart for the advertising. This tech-savvy generation grew up endlessly browsing the internet and can easily spot cheap marketing ploys (such as using celebrities) and see straight to the truth, the same old "voting is good" campaign.
They talked about how youth will vote if politics is fun, even though this sounds like a technique used with small children it makes perfect sense. New Zealand politics to most young people is the exact opposite of fun.
Design & Democracy used this information to develop two websites to help young people along the process:
Ask Away is a website that lets people ask politicians about things they care about and in their own language.
On The Fence is a website that lets users know which parties align most with their interests through a sort of visual questionnaire.
These websites are brilliant, they bring the ancient world of politics into the familiar world of the youth so they can start to understand and participate in what ultimately affects their future.
They talked about how youth will vote if politics is fun, even though this sounds like a technique used with small children it makes perfect sense. New Zealand politics to most young people is the exact opposite of fun.
Imagine being told: “You should go to this party I’m having; it’s your duty. Nobody your age will be there and you’re not going to understand what we’re saying.” This invitation does not appeal, even if it’s the Orange Guy himself asking. Last election, nearly half of eligible young people said “not for me thanks”, and we don’t blame them.A huge reason for youth not voting is their group not being represented at all.
The median age of MPs in the current Parliament is 51 years. Two-thirds are male. These men have been around longer than colour TV in New Zealand. If young people can’t see themselves represented in the system, they won’t engage with it.Another reason for the lack of youth voting is the language, politics uses so much jargon its might as well be another language to young people.
Design & Democracy used this information to develop two websites to help young people along the process:
Ask Away is a website that lets people ask politicians about things they care about and in their own language.
On The Fence is a website that lets users know which parties align most with their interests through a sort of visual questionnaire.
These websites are brilliant, they bring the ancient world of politics into the familiar world of the youth so they can start to understand and participate in what ultimately affects their future.