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Message Democracia Activa Peru Voting in elections in Peru is mandatory, yet voters typically find it difficult to access electoral information and generally lack confidence in government institutions. Citizens tend to be disinterested in politics and to feel alienated from the system — in part because the country doesn’t have effective means for holding elected officials accountable for their actions. Corruption is a strong concern and a common reason that people are disengaged from politics. Enter AED, a nonprofit organization that works to find enduring solutions to critical problems in health, education, civil society, and economic development worldwide. AED believes that, to create lasting social change, societies must have stable civil and political structures. The group works not only to provide local leaders with the skills and tools they need to serve communities, but also to support citizens in mobilizing and influencing policy. To this end, AED and its partners are implementing Democracia Activa Perú (Active Democracy Peru), a program that aims to strengthen democratic values and increase voter participation nationwide. Peruvian voters are electing new local, regional, and national leaders between October 2010 and April 2011. In the months leading up to the elections, AED worked with IDEO to design a communication strategy that would steer the project and its activities through this important time. IDEO focused on ways in which citizens can provide feedback to politicians and help them stay true to their campaign promises after they’re elected. Working closely with AED’s team and citizens in the cities of Lima, Cuzco, and Tarapoto, IDEO designed a provocative, multifaceted communications strategy around a basic mandate, “Actúa Ya (Act Now).” As part of the design process, IDEO brought together a diverse group of Peruvian individuals and organizations to examine the issues facing communities nationwide. They also considered citizens’ perceptions of democracy and civic engagement. “IDEO was instrumental in helping our local partners to approach campaign design from a new perspective,” said Ailea Sneller, AED Program Officer AED and its partner organizations used IDEO’s design principles, behavioral segmentation, and overall campaign strategy in their efforts, including deploying the campaign’s participatory elements at community fairs. http://www.ideo.com/work/democracia-activa-peru/