Scottish Referendum: Connected Studio Brief

Hello I’m Mo McRoberts and I’m part of the team that helps to organise Connected Studio events here at BBC Scotland. 

Connected Studio is a digital innovation programme that works with teams across the BBC to deliver fresh, new, digital features and formats.

On 18th September 2014 a referendum will be held in Scotland. Voters will be asked to vote yes or no on the question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?”

This is not only a historic vote because the outcome could fundamentally alter the nature of the United Kingdom, but also because 16 and 17 year olds will be able to vote for the first time.

It was for this reason we thought it an excellent opportunity for the Connected Studio to look at ideas to help the BBC reach a younger audience who may not be engaged with news and current affairs, particularly surrounding politics and political issues, and who have never had the opportunity to vote before.

The Connected Studio team helps people get together and generate ideas on the day

The event will be held at BBC Scotland’s headquarters in Glasgow on the 17th of September 2013 with the aim of generating ideas that will make the stories and issues of the referendum accessible and meaningful to younger audiences

Below is the single challenge which we have set out in the event’s Innovation Brief(PDF).If you think you can help us solve it then we’d love to hear from you—Connected Studio is open to a wide variety of Digital agencies, freelancers and Start-ups with a focus on creative or technical and whether you've worked with the BBC previously or not doesn’t matter.

You can find out more about Connected Studio, or apply to take part in the Creative Studio for Scotland’s Referendum, via the Connected Studio website.

The Challenge

Next year’s Referendum on Scottish Independence offers 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland an opportunity to vote for the first time. The BBC is committed to helping all audiences understand the issues surrounding the debate on Scotland’s future. Given traditional coverage of politics can sometimes be perceived, particularly by younger audiences, as complicated and not relevant to them, we want you to consider new ways of communicating with audiences which empowers them to make an informed choice in the referendum.

In meeting this challenge, we’d like you to think about:—

• The use of digital technologies to reach those who don’t usually come to the BBC for news and current affairs, and may be put off by politics and the surrounding jargon.

• Helping people to identify issues which are personally relevant to them, find answers to their questions about the referendum, and feel empowered by having a say.

• Giving people a confident understanding of the voting process and its lasting legacy.

• The BBC’s duty to provide comprehensive, balanced and impartial coverage throughout the whole referendum period.

Finally, can your proposition have a legacy beyond the referendum—for example, as part of local, national or European election coverage in the future?

Mo McRoberts is an Analyst in BBC Archive Development and part of the Connected Studio team for BBC Scotland.