A world where young people are respected, valued and taken seriously as co-creators of democratic communities

Mission: Building Democratic Communities Together

Our objectives include:

• Increasing the civic engagement of young people (particularly those from tough realities)
• Enabling dialogue and the building of trust between young people and decision makers
• Reducing youth scepticism about politics (increasing participation) and political scepticism about youth
• Breaking down sectarian, racial and other barriers between young people
• Building an international network of socially engaged young people, and a sustainable funding model for WIMPS

We have already established a strong base for the project in Northern Ireland - including good links with the new Government. We have several party leaders, MEPs, MLAs and other politicians interviewed on the site. We have reached the point where the politicians are contacting us about being interviewed on the site. We have also begun franchise negotiations with the Basque Government, with a youth organisation in Israel, another in Palestine and another in the Irish Republic. We have also had enquires from a number of other EU countries and two from the USA.

Our next milestone is to get a multi-lingual version of the site up and running which can then be 're-skinned' for franchises. All the franchises will operate through www.wimps.tv as a common domain.

ICT contribues significantly and in a number of ways. Most obviously, the WIMPS website is the key tool of the project and this site uses web2 technology throughout including embedded video and database driven applications. A post-code driven dababase allows young people to quickly and easily connect with their elected representatives at local Council, Northern Ireland Assembly, Westminister and European Parliament levels by email. A projects database allows users to upload information about projects they are doing in their own communities and to link and network with others. We have found that the technology on the site is also a great social leveller, as the site has been used very effectively by young people traditionally under-represented in youth civic engagement projects, including young people with physical and learning disabilities. The next version of the site will be multi-lingual, supporting the active engagement of young people from Northern Ireland's growing ethnic minorities by carrying content in their languages.

Additionally we are about to purchase a mobile 'WIMPS-Mobile' that will allow us to reach and work with hard to reach young people across Northern Ireland. The vehicle will carry laptops, video cameras and other equipment to allow young people to create their own films as well as being a promotional tool for WIMPS. The vehicle will also carry 'iBurst' mobile internet technology - as we will be part of the trial for this in Northern Ireland (Greater Belfast in the first instance). We are also experimenting with mobile messaging technology (see www.swarmteams.com) and with GIS mapping for the new version of the site. We will also be looking at ways of using the site on mobile devices, in particular mobile phones.

The easiest and most effective way to replicate WIMPS will be to buy into the franchise - as this will not only give the franchisee a tried and tested concept, brand and praxis, but will also be significantly more cost-effective than starting from scratch, and will allow their users to network internationally with young people in Northern Ireland and elsewhere.

We can also 're-skin' the site with all or some of its features, but without the brand for clients in other countries. The cost involved in creating something like WIMPS from scratch, as well as hosting and staffing it, is beyond most small NGOs, but possible for larger organisations.

Our ideal partner is a youth organisation or other NGO focussed on improving the relationship between young people and political systems. The franchise and model are not simply the site, but also the 'Democratic Civic Practice' model that we have developed for working with the young people. A partner should be independent of government but also have good access to politicians, politicial parties and government departments.