Bullies used to be the scourge of the playground – but now bullying is also finding its way online, into Facebook, Myspace and through mobile devices. To explore appropriate policy responses, the New South Wales State Legislative Council is conducting a formal inquiry. The committee had heard from the experts, academics and associations – but wanted to hear from those on the frontline – young people themselves – who rarely engage with formal parliamentary processes.

Make Believe, together with human services consultancy, WestwoodSpice, developed and launched an online survey for young people to confidentially share their experiences. The survey itself had an appealing and bold design, and was developed using an open source survey tool. A Facebook advertising campaign exposed the project to tens of thousands of NSW youth, and resulted in hundreds of survey respondents with a very low marketing spend.

This project was the first time the NSW Parliament had actively solicited input online. The results are now being collated and the young people’s detailed input will inform the NSW Parliament’s recommendations to Government.