18 jaar worden

Background

When you turn 18, a lot changes. As a young person you have to deal with a lot of regulatory matters, such as (health) insurance and you are responsible for your own finances. We know from previous research that this usually goes well for 80% of young people and parents and does not lead to problems. But for 20% of the young people this does lead to problems, often major financial problems. Parents and young people who are less (digital) literate, who do not have a good command of the Dutch language, people without a (social) safety net, families with multiple problems and/or people with disabilities, experience the Dutch rules around the age of 18 as very complicated are suspicious of the government. The research shows that these groups experience problems in their contact with the government in regulatory matters around the age of 18. Both the parents and the youngsters often lack the insight and overview of what needs to be arranged when and the steps that must be taken. Also, information relevant to them is often not found, they use different search terms and they do not know where to ask for help. They find government information and services complicated and inaccessible.

The Lifecycle Game

Commissioned by the Ministry of General Affairs and the Public and Communication Service of the national government, Muzus has conducted research into the experiences, bottlenecks and opportunities within the target group of vulnerable young people regarding their contact with the (digital) government and all regulatory matters when a citizen becomes 18 years. For this we have designed the Lifecycle Game, to start a conversation with groups of young people using gamification principles at locations that are familiar to them, such as schools and community centers. The designed Lifecycle Game is now being further developed as a tool for secondary schools to enter into a discussion with young people about the regulatory issues surrounding turning 18 and before that. Schools are looking for the best way to talk about this with their scholars. The life course game works very well for this, because it is tangible, you are talking side by side in an active setting and it can be played with several young people at the same time.