The project that most powerfully caught my attention at the New Statesman New Media Awards was Stop The Traffik, which won the Advocacy award against Oxjam and Intelligent Giving (who did, however, win the Information and Openness award). Here's how the award citation went:
STOP THE TRAFFIK, is a global coalition of over 800 organisations, working together to fight against people trafficking; by raising awareness on a subject that is little known or understood. It aims to expose people trafficking, lead governments to action and unlock freedom.
The coalition’s determination to succeed is clearly visible online, where pages of its website have been translated into 20 languages, from widely spoken languages like Chinese and Russian to the less widely spoken languages of Khmer, Igbo and Lithuanian. The clear design and excellent information architecture of the site enable visitors to quickly get to grips with the subject matter and how it is affecting people across the globe, as well as discover how they can make a difference.
In addition to a traditional web presence STOP THE TRAFFIK has set up a mySpace area, created viral videos, put together downloadable PowerPoint presentations for businesses and made available to download many other campaign resources.
The judges thought the site was very well thought out and an excellent example of how to use digital media as a tool for advocacy, campaigning and education.
At the ceremony I was able to talk to Strategy Director Peter Stanley, and ask him about the way the coalition started, and its scale of operation.
Click To Play also at blip.tv
As he explained, there are many organisations campaigning in the field - but they haven't always joined up their efforts very well in the past. The Internet brings at least two benefits - the ability to collaborate online, and the scope for people to create their own films on YouTube to contribute to the campaign.
Click To Play also at blip.tv
Peter went on to talk to my wife Ann about how their chocolate campaign had led children to explain to their parents why they should switch to Fair Trade chocolate - because their Easter eggs might well be made with slave labour. The next time someone asks what difference new media can make, I'll have a good story to tell.
Technorati Tags: awards, advocacy, stopthetraffik
You'll probably know this: do you know of any public impact assessments made of initiatives like StopTheTraffik et al? I remain skeptical .
Posted by: i.p | July 26, 2007 at 02:40 PM