START HERE A STARTER KIT FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE

START HERE A STARTER KIT FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The Rationale behind Citizens: Start Here The Problem: • The issues like poverty, education, health, or crime are large and complex. •

Health Education

They are interconnected, and cannot be addressed alone. Poverty

•

Crime

These issues evolve with circumstances over time. Standardized programs and solutions may not be the best way to address them.

The Opportunity: • We have half our population on Facebook (48.12%) •

People are likely to care about issues that affect them or people they know

•

People who are curious or want change do not know where to start

Now Imagine, What if every interested citizen had access to a Starter Kit that helps them to understand issues that they care about and do something about it? • • •

People can easily look-up issues and get inspired to take action. see the relationships between issues and understand the bigger picture. Connect with Champions of issues they care about.

Now, anyone can be a potential change agent!

Project Overview To quickly understand this project, imagine: A ‘Wikipedia’ of interconnected issues in Malaysia maintained by the people, presented in a solution-oriented format,

designed to engage people step by step, moving us beyond curiosity into action.

Getting People to Make a Difference Step 1: Structure Issues into Workable Pieces Step 2: Present Issues in a Solution-Oriented Way Step 3: Develop Engagement, Step by Step

Step 1: Structure Issues into Workable Pieces Structuring and issue into a workable, manageable piece is the first step towards overcoming it. Examples: National level? Example: Health Care in Malaysia

State level? Example: Rise in food poisoning cases in State XYZ

District level? Example: Rise in food poisoning cases in District XYZ

Specific location?

Example: Food court XYZ dirty and unhygienic

Step 2: Present Issues in a Solution-Oriented Way UNDERSTANDING the issue 1. Issue’s history and background 2. Key problem areas and other pertinent information 3. Causes, Effects, and Relationships e.g. What issues affect this issue? What other issues does this issue affect?

ANALYZING the issue 4. Points of greatest influence This could be an action, decision maker, group etc that, when efforts are focused on them, the most positive impact is achieved.

RESEARCH existing efforts 5. What is being done? What has worked for others?

ENGAGE with issue 6. What can I do to help? “20 friends are also affected by this issue. Form a group to solve it together.” “Your friend is addressing this issue and is asking for help! Help her.” Engagement plan on next page

Important: “Describe, don’t Prescribe” This project describes issues and existing efforts. It should not prescribe a specific solution because there will never be a single ‘right’ solution to complex issues.

Step 3: Develop Engagement, Step by Step Engagement Level Visit website

Design Elements

Design Objective

Search issues or view recommended issue

Demonstrate usefulness and ease of use

Discover ‘issues my friends care about’ Click ‘I am affected by this issue’

Read up on issue

Follow issue

Contribute to efforts

Take ownership

Champion issue

Encourage reading

Build interest

Build list of ‘issues I care about’ Discover ‘what are my friends helping with?’

Encourage person to follow issue / sign up for updates

See friends’ activities around the same issue

Encourage person to talk about issue with others.

‘Is your friend affected by this issue? Share this with them.’

Encourage person to share or post on Facebook / Twitter

Discover ‘issues I can help with’

Talk about issue

Build curiosity

Deepen commitment to issue

‘Your friend is addressing this issue and needs help!’

Encourage user to take small steps to pitch in and help.

‘20 people you know are affected by this!’

Instill sense of ownership and responsibility towards the issue

Create a ‘Call to Action’ event. Rally friends and family around issues.

Encourage user to form groups and take ownership of the issue

Connect with others who have also made ‘Calls to Action’ for this issue

Provide opportunities for Champions to develop

Connect with existing efforts/initiatives

Encourage user to band with other groups and champion the issue

Connect with Champions with inter-related issues

Facilitate inter-issue Champion collaboration Encourage collaboration with Champions of inter-related issues

Benefits Citizens easily look-up, teach themselves, and do something about issues they care about.

Communities & Programmes Connect with citizens who have teamed up with friends for the same cause.

Social Entrepreneurs Explore related issues, key influencers and underlying relationships. Supplement planning with useful data.

Policy Makers, Analysts Can utilize data and analytics to assist planning and research.

Developing a No-frills Prototype Requirements: Software: XAMPP, Facebook PHP SDK, D3.js, Neo4j Graph Database Software Cost: None (Open source libraries)

Development Time: 6 months (if developed individually during spare time) Development cost: None (Volunteer time)