Wilson Center’s and BRAVA Foundation’s Civic Engagement Game for Brazilian Students is Finalist in OECD Competition

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Anna Prusa
Phone: (202) 691-4077
anna.prusa@wilsoncenter.org

The initiative, called Cidade em Jogo (Cities in Play), is one of six finalists selected among all submissions to the OECD’s Innovative Open Government Cases initiative

WASHINGTON, DC, June 5—The project Cities in Play (Cidade em Jogo), developed by the BRAVA Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson Center, was selected for the shortlist of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)’s Innovative Open Government Cases. The initial call for proposals resulted in more than 100 published cases from 42 countries over the past five months, culminating in the selection of six finalists. The two winning cases will be announced on July 5 (one selected by popular vote, and one selected by the OECD) and presented at an event at OECD headquarters in Paris in late 2019 or early 2020.

Fostering civic engagement in Brazil, one student at a time

The Cities in Play (Cidade em Jogo) project is centered on a free, online game that aims to foster civic engagement among Brazilian students. The power of educational games is that they allow us to take complicated issues and present them in a simple but engaging format. Cities in Play is designed to give students a hands-on lesson in the public management of a city. The game asks each student to be mayor of a Brazilian city and balance policy goals with fiscal realities, challenging the player to come up with their own plan for their city. Through this process, students are encouraged to think critically about the trade-offs necessary to govern, and discuss policy choices with their peers.

Launched in 2017, the initiative has already been implemented in over 50 public and private schools, and been played by more than 2,500 students (with more than 35,000 users total). In 2018, the game won second place in the educational games category of the ComKids Festival in Brazil, and it is currently a finalist in the educational games category of the BIG Festival (Brazil’s Independent Games Festival).

The game is available to play at: http://cidadeemjogo.org.br/.

The OECD Innovative Open Government Cases competition

The OECD, together with the Observatory for Public Sector Innovation and the Open Government Partnership, launched a call in November 2018 for innovative open government cases, to find and showcase novel, implemented, and impactful practices from around the world. The OECD assess submissions based on potential replicability, outcomes achieved, ability to learn from challenges and failure, and level of engagement with partners and other stakeholders. The purpose was to create a platform with initiatives that could inspire decision makers and civil society around the world in the implementation of public policy and the open government agenda.

After a rigorous selection process, an OECD team of specialists selected six case studies as finalists from more than 100 cases submitted. Cities in Play (Cidade em Jogo) is the only finalist from Brazil; the other shortlisted initiatives are from Argentina, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and Tunisia. “It is gratifying to see such recognition of the project. We have seen up close the impact that Cidade em Jogo has, through the projects that we have done with public and private schools,” said Rodrigo Vaz, coordinator of the initiative at the BRAVA Foundation.

Vote for Cidade em Jogo!

The two winners of the OECD’s call for innovative open government cases will present their initiatives at an event at OECD headquarters in Paris. One winner will be chosen by the OECD; the other winner will be selected through online popular vote.

Voting is open through July 1. To vote for a winner in the competition, visit: oe.cd/vote-now. To vote for the Cities in Play (Cidade em Jogo) project, choose the option “Youth civic engagement via online gamification in Brazil.”