Middlesbrough Council

Getfrank were asked by Middlesbrough Council for ideas on how to tackle voter apathy and declining participation in the political process and engage young people in the democratic process of creating the post of Youth Mayor.

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Solution

Getfrank’s answer to the problem was to allow young people to be the "virtual mayor" of their city in an online interactive game, created in Flash.Young people interested in learning more about local Government issues can play at being mayor online - tackling all the exciting decision-making and budget spending dilemmas that the role entails. The game begins with the player being asked to select a low, medium or high Council Tax bracket, the result of the selection dramatically affecting the amount the player has to spend during their time as mayor, and the number of constituents that decide to vote. Players are then asked to make a decision on how to tackle issues such as teenage pregnancy, street crime and truancy. Each correct decision boosts the number of happy voters whereas poor decisions result in the loss of voters and rapidly diminishing budget.