MISSION #1 FOR DETROIT 24/7 ONLINE GAME BEGINS MONDAY, MAY 7 @12:01 AM

Detroit Public Libraries & Long Term Planning HomeBase Available Location to Play Detroit 24/7

DETROIT, May 4, 2012— Share Your Detroit starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, May 7—the first of three missions Detroiters are being asked to complete as part of the fun, interactive online game called Detroit 24/7 on Community PlanIt.  It can be played by visiting www.CommunityPlanit.org thanks to a partnership between Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning, the Engagement Game Lab, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Detroit 24/7 on www.CommunityPlanIt.org allows players of all ages and backgrounds to creatively think, learn and share their suggestions for how to improve the quality of life in Detroit while competing to earn points and win prizes.  To sign-up visit www.CommunityPlanIt.org.

The Share Your Detroit mission is a chance for players to share how they spend their time in Detroit using Detroit trivia, community mapping, and role playing exercises.  This mission begins on Monday, May 7 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 13.

Gabriela Santiago-Romero, a 20 year old Southwest Detroit resident shares her Detroit as part of the introductory video for Mission 1— Share Your Detroit: http://vimeo.com/41143241.

A general overview for how games on Community PlanIt like Detroit 24/7 work can be seen here: http://vimeo.com/40255999.

The ideas and input collected through Detroit 24/7 will be utilized by Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning to help inform and shape the Strategic Framework Plan, also known as the guide for decision making, scheduled to be complete before fall of 2012.

WHAT IF I DO NOT HAVE A COMPUTER TO PLAY THE GAME?

Any computer, smart phone or tablet with an internet connection allows people to access Detroit 24/7 on Community PlanIt.

A partnership has been formed with Detroit Public Library (DPL) so that anyone wishing to play the Detroit 24/7 game on Community PlanIt can do so at any branch during regular business hours.  View this link to for locations and hours:  http://www.detroitpubliclibrary.org/branch-locator.  A team from Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning will also be at the DPL Main Branch’s H.Y.P.E Teen Center every Tuesday from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. encouraging youth to play Detroit 24/7.

The Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning HomeBase, 2929 Russell Street in Eastern Market, will also be a place where people can access computers Monday – Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHAT DO I GET FOR PLAYING Detroit 24/7?   

 Detroit 24/7 provides players with more than just the satisfaction of accomplishing missions; there’s a chance to win prizes.  The overall top point earner, the top youth point earner, and one other member of the top 50 players will win an HD Flip Video Camera.  Players who earn the most achievement badges will be entered to into a drawing to receive gift cards to local Detroit businesses.

WHAT ARE THE MISSIONS?  WHEN DO THEY BEGIN AND END?

 Mission #1 – Share your Detroit (Begins 12:01 a.m. May 7 and Ends 11:59 p.m. May 13)

• Detroit is full of hidden treasures. Only people who spend time here understand why the city is truly one-of-a-kind. How do you spend time in Detroit? Now is your chance to share your Detroit and let others know why the city is so special to you.

Mission #2 – Living in Detroit (Begins 12:01 a.m. May 14 and Ends 11:59 p.m. May 20)

• Living in Detroit is sometimes tough, sometimes wonderful, and sometimes everything in between. But if nothing else, Detroit is always interesting. Now is your chance to explain all the pains and pleasures associated with living in Detroit and despite the challenges, what makes a successful community.

Mission #3 – Getting around Detroit (Begins 12:01 a.m. May 21 and Ends 11:59 p.m. May 27)

• How you get around Detroit affects many aspects of your life. It affects our chances for employment, going to school and running basic errands. Now is your chance to describe what you encounter everyday as you move around the city and suggest how things can improve.

WHO ARE THE Detroit 24/7 PARTNERS?

The Detroit 24/7 game on Community PlanIt was developed by the Engagement Game Lab in partnership with Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning and with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.  Other partners include Excellent Schools Detroit, Wayne County Community College District, Young Nation in Southwest Detroit, William J. Beckham Academy, Finney High School, Osborn Evergreen Academy of Design and Alternative Energy, Lawrence Technological University, and the Detroit Public Library System.

About Community PlanIt

Community PlanIt is a project of the Engagement Game Lab, an applied research lab at Emerson College focusing on the development and study of games and social media to enhance civic life. The EGL works directly with its partner communities to innovate civic engagement processes, augment stakeholder deliberation, and broaden the diversity of participants in local decision-making. Community PlanIt was created to focus on enhancing the community planning process for stakeholders and planners. It aims to lower participation barriers in community planning, enhance engagement by scaffolding learning in a fun way, and strengthen the trust between community members, planners, and decision makers.  To learn more visit  http://engagementgamelab.org/.

About Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning

Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning is developing a Strategic Framework Plan that will serve as a guide for the community, city government, non-profits, and businesses to make decisions that will help Detroit to become a city with healthier, more viable neighborhoods that can support current residents while still attracting new ones; and reenergize Detroit’s economy while increasing job opportunities for Detroiters.

With expected completion in August of 2012, as part of the strategic framework there will be:

• A shared vision for the city and its neighborhoods;
• Public policy recommendations that can be incorporated into important governing documents such as the Master Plan of Policies for the City, or zoning ordinances;
• Implementation strategies that can be executed by government, investors and businesses, and community-based organizations.

To learn more about Detroit Works Project Long Term Planning visit www.DetroitLongTerm.com; stop by the project’s HomeBase located at 2929 Russell Street in Eastern Market between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or call 313-259-4407.

About  John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit KnightFoundation.org.

Contact: James Canning, 313-580-2845,  [email protected]