At first glance YoungGov, launched on 5 November 2002, looks little different from other .gov sites, so it may come as some surprise to learn that over 700 youngsters were consulted over the development of site. But the information featured does appear to focus on youth-related issues, such as firework safety, how to stop bullies and safety on the internet. YoungGov offers a route to advice from external sites, with links to “fifty crucial sites” of charities, youth groups and other government websites. There’s “Mind, Body and Soul” – actually just mind and body, with advice on drugs, eating and sexual health; “Your Choices at 16” covering information on careers counselling, employment and training and UK Youth Parliament, a project to give people under 18 a representative national voice.
Douglas Alexander, the minister for e-transformation, and at 35 in a better position than most politicians to comment on youth culture said: “YoungGov introduces young people to the way government works, while at the same time providing helpful information, designed around the way they live now.”
While YoungGov's Parliament pages “Who runs country?” would benefit from more illustration and interactivity, a little more excitement can be found through some of the links.
There’s the Parliamentary Education Unit’s Explore Parliament, with video clips which take you “behind the scenes of the British political system” and the 10 Downing Street website where it’s possible to take a virtual tour and have a view of Prime Minister’s question time in the House of Commons.
The Cabinet Office claims that so far feedback has been positive and the online feedback facility, an integral part of the YoungGov, could help shape the contents of the site and put it on track to greater thing
Quelle: KableNet
