Our roundup of links to innovative and interesting mobilisation campaigns that caught our eye (and yours) in the past few weeks:
Shark Coffins in Shanghai Show Overfishing Message
China’s International Fund for Animal Welfare and Y&R Shanghai have started a campaign that places life-sized coffins, with fins “protruding sinisterly,” in public spaces around Shanghai to draw attention to shark overfishing.
Small plaques nearby explain the issue and ask visitors to sign a petition pledging to stop eating sharks. Nearly 50,000 people have signed so far. Fishermen need to kill more than 73 million sharks annually to keep up with the demand for shark-fin soup, a delicacy that uses only two per cent of the animal’s body weight. Via PSFK
India Reality Game Launched to Tackle Fear
A volunteer-run community project called Blank Noise is looking to confront public sexual harassment in India through “Action Hero,” a reality game intended to tackle the fear many women have towards their cities. Through tasks and challenges, the game helps enable new behavior and new associations with public spaces in which women have previously felt unsafe.
Anyone can play the game, which is played simultaneously across cities, countries, towns and time zones. Players need a Twitter account and basic mobile phone to receive text messages with instructions and tasks. The player starts from a location that is unfamiliar to him or her. On Oct. 5, the game was played in several cities. Via Global Voices
Power Shift Convenes Youth, Launches Campaigns
Power Shift events in various locations around the world are convening the grassroots youth climate justice movement. More than 10,000 youth convened in Pittsburgh Oct. 18-21 for Power Shift 2013 to build the movement to fight fracking, divest from fossil fuels, build a clean energy future, and stop the climate crisis.
The event was designed to launch hundreds of sustained campaigns and mass actions to demand justice, with participants breaking out by state and issue areas to ensure coordination across the country. Pittsburgh was chosen because it is at the crossroads of a fight for a clean and just energy future. Via WeArePowerShift.org
People Pledge Birthdays for Clean Water Campaign
Charity:water launched its September birthdays campaign, asking people to pledge their next birthday to fundraise money for clean and safe water systems in India.
Just over half of its $2 million goal has been raised in a month, with 2,000 people starting the online campaigns.
The charity: water website highlights some of the fundraising all-stars who have started creative and inspiring campaigns, such as a family who is celebrating the adoption of their daughter from India and a girl who hosts a lemonade stand.
Charity: water’s 2012 September campaign saw 13,782 people raise more than $2 million for Rwanda. The money funded seven water systems, feeding 106 tap stands and serving almost 26,000 people. The non-profit organization’s goal is to give 100 million people access to safe drinking water in 10 years, which will cost a minimum of $3 billion. The average birthday campaign raises more than $770. Via CharityWater.org
Contest Encourages Creative Arctic 30 Peaceful Protests
unREPORTED is hosting a competition for peaceful protests against the detention of the Arctic 30 activists to raise awareness of their cause. The impetus came from frustration from the media coverage and a need to connect to new audiences.
Using multimedia and the creative arts, protests may take various forms including: art work, sculpture, performance, video, music, poetry, graphics, animation, comedy and legislation. Protests must be viewable online and competitors are asked to illustrate their protest in a one-minute movie or an image.
There are cash prizes for the top three entries, as well as a viral bonus awarded to the first entry that goes viral (more than 500,000 views) within seven days of the project launch via YouTube or Flickr channels. Oct. 31 is the deadline to submit entries. Via unREPORTED
What’s Missing?
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Top photo via PSFK.com (Sara Boboltz)
