Tulsa Civic Connect 🏛️

An AI-powered civic engagement platform that empowers Tulsa residents to participate in local democracy through interactive learning and meaningful action.

🎯 Overview

Tulsa Civic Connect combines artificial intelligence with gamified learning to help citizens:

• Understand local issues affecting Tulsa
• Learn about candidates and upcoming elections
• Engage with local government processes
• Take action on issues they care about

Developed in partnership with Leadership Tulsa, this platform makes civic engagement accessible and engaging for all Tulsa residents.

🛠️ Quick Setup

1. Prerequisites

   • Node.js 16.x or higher
   • MongoDB 4.4+
   • OpenAI API key

2. Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-org/tulsa-civic-connect.git

# Navigate to project directory
cd tulsa-civic-connect

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Set up environment variables
cp .env.example .env

3. Configuration Edit .env with your credentials:

OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key
MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_uri
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret

4. Start Development

# Run all services
npm run dev:all

# Or run frontend only
npm run dev

Visit http://localhost:3000 to view the application.

The learning dashboard tracks your progress through civic engagement modules and rewards consistent participation

✨ Key Features

🤖 AI Chatbot Assistant

• Have natural conversations about Tulsa's local issues
• Get unbiased information about candidates and elections
• Learn about current bills and legislation
• Understand how local government works

📚 Interactive Learning

• Curriculum developed by Leadership Tulsa experts
• Gamified modules on civic engagement
• Progress tracking and achievements
• Real-world civic action challenges

Earn badges and track your progress as you become a Civic Champion! Join district teams and complete learning paths to level up your civic engagement.

✍️ Letter Generator

• Easy-to-use tool for contacting elected officials
• Pre-formatted templates for different issues
• Personalization assistance
• Direct delivery to representatives

Our AI-powered letter writer helps you craft effective messages to your representatives while maintaining your authentic voice

🗳️ Voter Resources

• Election calendar and reminders
• Candidate profiles and comparisons
• Voting location finder
• Registration status checker

🏗️ Project Structure

tulsa-civic-connect/
├── src/
│   ├── components/     # Reusable UI components
│   ├── pages/         # Next.js pages and routes
│   ├── styles/        # Global styles and themes
│   ├── utils/         # Helper functions and utilities
│   └── api/          # API routes and handlers
├── public/           # Static assets
└── tests/           # Test suites

🧪 Testing

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:watch

🛠️ Technologies

• Next.js
• OpenAI API
• MongoDB
• Node.js
• Express

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! Please read our Contributing Guidelines for details on how to submit pull requests, report issues, and contribute to the project.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Leadership Tulsa for curriculum development and expertise
• City of Tulsa for data and resources
• Local community partners and beta testers

📞 Contact

For questions or support, please reach out to [email protected]

🔄 Updates and Versioning

• We use Semantic Versioning
• See CHANGELOG.md for version history
• Main branch is our production-ready code

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Built with ❤️ for Tulsa's civic future