Harnesses the power of games to empower, engage and educate youth

USAID InitiativeInnovations for Youth Capacity and Engagement, “IYCE”, is an initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that strengthens youth programs by developing tools and effective models utilizing the power of innovative technology, including serious games, to empower, engage and educate youth and assist them in their transition to adulthood.

IYCE meets young people where they are, capturing their interest with gaming and other new media that they consider relevant, interesting and ‘cool’. This venue offers a safe, fun, and challenging space where youth can develop the skills necessary to become more engaged, responsible, and productive citizens. IYCE targets youth in the regions in which USAID operates, including the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Eurasia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Through IYCE, USAID is forging unique public-private alliances to bring together the ICT and Gaming worlds with the world of international development in order to creatively address critical youth development challenges.

Photo credit: Kaarli Sundsmo, USAID

IYCE Pilot Program

IYCE is being piloted in Jordan and, if successful, will be expanded to other countries in the region and beyond. Jordan was selected given the numerous youth engagement initiatives, the Government of Jordan’s interest in and support for youth development as well as the expansion of Information Communications Technology (ICT) within the country, and USAID/Jordan’s leadership on and support for innovative youth programming.

Why being piloted in Jordan?

IYCE Target Audience

Today’s youth number and the largest generation to transition to adulthood

Youth aged 10-24 represent 30% or more of the population of many developing countries

This can be destabilizing if youth’s needs are neglected, particularly those

related to education, work opportunities, and having a voice in

their communities

1.77 billion

In regions such as the Middle East,

nearly 70% of the population is under the age of

30

IYCE is being piloted in Jordan and, if successful, will be expanded to other countries in the region and beyond.

Youth targeted is between

ages 15-24

IYCE Pilot Program

Around the globe, amidst challenging circumstances, youth have harnessed and demonstrated the power of social media to connect with each other and express themselves bringing about social and economic changes

http://www.activyouth.com/events/25-upcoming/320-youth-for-change-phase-iii-20102011-.html

Can social games help empower youth to develop the skills, passion and knowledge to build vibrant 21st. century societies? We think so!

Imagine if a social city-building game was rigorously optimized for fun, engagement, viral propagation and for developing an understanding of building vibrant societies.

Why Social Games?

AppData: April, 2013

Social city-building games are one of the worlds fastest growing game genres with hundreds of millions of players globally …

These social games are fun, engaging and rigorously optimized every week for viral propagation & free to play conversion

Top 3 city building Facebook Games:Rank by: Monthly Active Users (MAU)

1.CityVille

2.CastleVille

3.Social Empires

10,247,130

8,544,732

6,000,000

Reference image: CityVille

Social Game: Our CityIYCE Pilot Game: Our City Concept overview

• City building Facebook game

• Our City will be localized to Jordanian context both in art and content

• Players will focus on building and managing a healthy and vibrant city

•Micro-engagement models will provide opportunities to advance more rapidly in the game by interacting with mini-games, videos, online content and surveys that are linked to digital content from IYCE partner NGOs

• Real-world/Virtual-world integrations: real world activities such as volunteering opportunities which will be offered by partnering NGOs to engage deeper and accelerate game play

•Mobile component: through mobile plug-ins such as reminders and updates, players will be able connect and engage with the game while being away from their PC. Also, a mobile function will provide a check-in mechanism to integrate into the game players’ participation in real-world activities

Social Game: Our City

The game will focus on the challenges of building a vibrant city and will help the player understand the systems that must be managed to grow and manage a city. Players will face concrete challenges, such as energy shortages, diminishing access to water, a growing population, and a challenging economic environment, for which they will develop appropriate solutions.

Note: the game will not focus on building the specific governing models and infrastructure

IYCE Pilot Game: Our City Concept overview

Social Game: Our CityIYCE Learning and Impact Objectives

Increase importance of a sense of community. Compete, collaborate, socialize, and connect with other players

Fixing problems and solving conflicts as important learning mechanics in the game

Strong social mechanics as part of quests structure: sharing, reciprocity, gift-giving, community development, player reputation level, friendly competition

The player should have the opportunity to make bad decisions. Since the best instruction is through failure

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Team

Executive ProducerE-Line Media is a publisher of game-based learning products and services that engage, educate and empower, helping to prepare youth for lives and careers in the 21st century. E-Line works with leading foundations, academics, nonprofits and government agencies to harness the power of games for learning, health and social impact.

Implementing PartnerNethope Alliance, which is an alliance of corporate partners, foundations, and thirty-three of the largest international NGOs engaged in humanitarian and development assistance. NetHope enables humanitarian organizations to better serve the developing world through smarter use of technology.

Funding PartnerThe U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States.

www.elinemedia.comwww.nethope.orgwww.usaid.gov

IYCE Pilot Program

In-Country ManagerAl-Nasher is a full-service advertising; public relations and marketing agency specialized in the development of advertising, marketing and new media strategies, with more than 20 years of experience. Al Nasher has been implementing participatory programs that allow civil society organizations and the public to direct their community’s development.

www.socialgameuniverse.com

Game DeveloperSocial Game Universe is a Toronto-based social games innovator founded in 2009 by veteran digital media entrepreneur andgame designer Nathon Gunn and backed by powerhouse media and finance visionaries.

www.enasher.com