A simulation game CIVIC PARTICIPATION TRAINER is being developed in the project MUNICIPALITY 16+, to enhance the civic competence of young people and to allow them to master civic participation mechanisms such as participatory budgeting, residents’ councils, collective submissions, elections, and to raise awareness of the importance of civic participation in society.
On April 2024 in Pilsen (Czech Republic), the MUNICIPALITY 16+ project team and thirty young people, youth leaders, youth affairs specialists, and experts from Latvia, Czech Republic, and Slovenia met in a design thinking workshop. The creation of the new game began with needs assessment, followed by idea generation, prototyping, and testing, seeking the most effective solutions and considering the real needs of the user. The design thinking workshop was led by the Czech NGO “Participation Factory,” which specializes in identifying the needs of the community and offering need-based solutions to strengthen democracy.
Phase 1 – RESEARCH
Before the simulation game development, research was conducted in Latvia, Czech Republic, and Slovenia by organizing two focus groups in each country, involving young people, youth specialists, and experts. In the focus groups, we analyzed the experiences and needs of young people and youth workers in the field of civic participation in municipalities. We concluded that:
- There is insufficient municipal support and a lack of willingness from officials to prioritize youth policies as one of the main focuses in municipal work.
- There is a lack of clear and unified approach to promoting youth civic participation. It is necessary to improve national education systems by integrating civic participation. To reduce regional inequality in youth policy and participation, a unified methodology should be developed.
- Youth and youth workers have insufficient document literacy, not understanding the civic participation opportunities and mechanisms provided by laws. Civic participation concepts are unfamiliar.
- Although decision-makers listen to young people and youth experts, municipalities lack the capacity and resources to fully provide participation opportunities and to sustain and implement the ideas proposed by young people.
- Youth civic participation is hindered by fears of responsibility, the complexity of the process, and municipalities not being supportive of initiatives.
Phase 2 – DEFINING THE PROBLEM
In the design thinking phase, we compiled, structured, visualized, and prioritized the information gathered during the research phase – in focus groups. At the end of the phase, we defined the problem that the CIVIC PARTICIPATION TRAINER simulation game will address – improving the knowledge of young people and youth workers about participation mechanisms, fostering civic attitudes (including the ability to cope with internal and external obstacles to civic participation), and intergenerational cooperation skills.
Phase 3 – IDEA GENERATION
Idea generation involves both generating and evaluating ideas and selecting them. In this phase, we identified the criteria for idea selection, with the most important being that the game must generate interest, ensure active player engagement, and activate players' experiences and knowledge. At the same time, the game elements must enhance players' knowledge and understanding of participation mechanisms, be suitable for players with varying levels of prior experience and knowledge about specific participation mechanisms, their relevance, and benefits. The game should also provide concrete ideas that can be implemented in practice, strengthen belief in one's abilities and the importance of one's voice – showing how different people live in the municipality and how the community cooperates in defending their interests in the municipality.
Phase 4 – PROTOTYPING
In the design workshop, a prototype of the simulation game was developed – a simplified model of the game that allows for immediate feedback on the chosen game solution by demonstrating the game elements and process, taking on the roles of players and game leaders. At the end of the prototyping phase, the basic idea of the game was accepted, offering several elements for improvement.
Phase 5 – TESTING
This phase continues by refining the game prototype, elements, instructions, and testing them. The final version of the game will be handed over for production in Summer 2025.