Democracia Activa – Perú (DAP) was designed to strengthen democratic values, improve citizens’ attitudes toward democracy as a political system and promote informed citizen participation in Peru. FHI 360 worked with local partners to accomplish DAP’s two primary objectives: 1) to strengthen the capacity of two Peruvian government institutions — the National Jury of Elections and the National Office of Electoral Policies — to implement effective communication campaigns informing citizens on the electoral process, and 2) to support a campaign led by civil society.

The target audience was voting citizens ages 18–35 in the project’s seven target regions, with particular emphasis on Peruvian youth. The campaign prioritized youth who were marginally involved in democratic practices, as this group was considered to have the greatest potential for change in its attitudes and behaviors toward democracy and civic participation.

The DAP program was the first to use social and behavior change communication (SBCC) — an approach traditionally used in the field of health — to accomplish democracy and governance objectives. The communication strategy outlined three main intervention areas: social mobilization, social media and mass media. DAP used SBCC communication tools and strategies to carry messages to target audiences. The communication tools were developed in a variety of formats — a website, posters, flyers, interactive games, videos, social media platforms, and other vehicles, including democracy-focused radio programs managed by youth.