Act for Peace’s refugee social experiment

Exhibited by
SOFII
Added
May 31, 2017
Medium of Communication
Video, Online
Target Audience
Individuals, Awareness
Type of Charity
Refugee aid
Country of Origin
Australia
Date of first appearance
May 2015

SOFII’s view

In this emotionally-charged video, Act for Peace demonstrate that the biggest impediment to delivering crucial assistance to refugees is not just hatred, but indifference. It's a reminder that there is good in the world, as people react angrily to the message ‘refugees are scum’, but that there is still so much to be done to help refugees. Simple but effective, this video packs a powerful punch.

Background

This video was a social experiment conducted by Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) who support and protect refugees and displaced people impacted by conflict and natural disasters.

Despite the fact that the majority of public opinion is in favour of supporting the plight of refugees in Australia, there is an acute lack of positive action by most people on the very same issue. This short, sharp and punchy video created for Act For Peace, was designed to draw attention to this paradox and to incite viewers to take action by participating in the 2015 Ration Challenge.

Results

The video received worldwide press for Act for Peace’s cause, being viewed over 1.4 million times when shared on their Facebook page. It helped raise $455,686 for their Ration Challenge campaign, which is enough to feed 2020 Burmese refugees for a year. The initial goal was $200,000 to feed 925 refugees for an entire year.

The Ration Challenge campaign was the winner of the Most Innovative Campaign at the Fundraising Institute of Australia in 2017. It's a challenge event with participants living on refugee rations during Refugee Week and raising money and awareness for communities threatened by conflict and disaster.

Other relevant information

The idea for the video was influenced by the UK based campaign 'Fuck the Poor' by Publicis and the Pillion Trust.