INFORMING:
Toronto’s ‘Youth Force’ AIDS 2006 Youth Site:
The Toronto City Council’s ‘Toronto Youth Force’ programme launched an interactive youth-orientated website in partnership with ‘AID 2006′ to coincide with the 2006 World AIDS Conference held in Toronto. Features of the website included an in-depth resource guide, blogs and daily podcasts and web-casts (AIDS 2006, 2006).
See Toronto Youth Force and AIDS 2006 website
Successes of the Toronto AIDS 2006 Youth Site:
The website served as a one-stop portal for all youth-related activities leading up to and during AIDS 2006 for youth, adults and media. There was a reported increased awareness of HIV/AIDS amongst Toronto youth and a notable increase in media exposure of the issues following the high visibility campaigns which were co-ordinated through the website. There was also a greater youth participation in the 2006 AIDS Conference than ever before with over 1000 youth delegates taking part in the conference and many more viewing it. The main success of this website was that it enabled youth to not only be informed but then utilise this knowledge through the provision of a multiplicity of avenues to interact on the website (forums, the ability to post content, links to how to get involved in raising the awareness of HIV/AIDS) (AIDS 2006, 2006a).
What to take from this example:
It is easy to place information online but it is crucial to make sure that the information you are submitting is relevant to the target audience (youth). Added to this websites which illicit high levels of engagement with youth provide them with the ability to use that information in a constructive way.
Applicability to Auckland:
Most council sites already have websites, although the proportion that are specifically youth focussed is substantially smaller. The North Shore City Council Youth Site successfully engages with youth in relation to the provision of information through their ‘In2It’ monthly events calendar. Because of the low capital investment needed to create and maintain a youth-related website the new Auckland Council should definitely view this as an area to consider. This website would need to have visible links to the wider Auckland City Council website in order to ensure the maximisation of its effectiveness and would need to provide all council information relevant to youth.
Further examples:
The City of Manor’s ‘Manor Lab’ information hub incentivises citizen participation with local government through an innovative rewards system.
The Philadelphia Youth Commission’s Facebook page which provides a forum for the discussion of the commission bylaws, budgets
‘www.ilive.at’ which provides people with information such as the nearest transportation, emergency service, post office, library, petrol station and shopping centre to their home address.
See North Shore City Councils ‘In2It’ Youth Event Calendar
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