AI Overview
vTaiwan is an online and offline platform that facilitates citizen participation in policymaking for Taiwan's government
. It is a system for "crowdsourcing legislation" developed by the civic tech community g0v (gov-zero) and is used to gather public opinion and build consensus on a variety of national issues. Youth are involved in the process by joining the g0v civic tech community and participating in vTaiwan's public deliberations. What is vTaiwan?
vTaiwan was founded after the 2014 Sunflower Movement, a protest led by students against a trade agreement with China, during which protesters demanded more government transparency. In response, the government partnered with the g0v civic tech community to create a platform for citizen engagement.
The vTaiwan process generally involves four phases:
- Proposal: An issue is submitted for consideration by citizens or government agencies.
- Opinion: Participants engage in open online discussions, often using a tool called Pol.is, to identify areas of consensus and disagreement.
- Reflection: In-person stakeholder meetings are held to discuss the findings from the online deliberation.
- Legislation: The consensus reached is used to inform draft legislation or regulations.
The platform has been used to shape policies on a range of issues, from regulating Uber and online alcohol sales to drafting guidelines for the development of artificial intelligence.
How youth participate in vTaiwan
Young people, particularly students and activists from the g0v community, are central to the vTaiwan process.
As creators: g0v, the volunteer group that built vTaiwan, includes many younger members who are coders, designers, and activists.Youth involvement in Taiwan's intelligence community
While vTaiwan facilitates civic participation in policymaking, it is distinct from state intelligence agencies. However, the government has recognized the importance of engaging young people in broader national security and defense issues.
Recent initiatives to engage Taiwan's youth in national defense have focused on raising awareness and strengthening civil-military integration rather than traditional intelligence gathering:
Military simulations: Educational war games, which have been expanded to include Chinese and English language versions, are used to increase young people's interest in defense matters.
