I am sure, or at the very least I hope, that you have seen the words 'KONY 2012' somewhere on your newsfeed or timeline. If you don't know what the phrase means, a quick explanation: The 'Kony' is Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, who abducts children and makes them become children soldiers for his army, forcing them to help him in his brutality and destruction. He has been listed as the number one person wanted for crimes against humanity and the International Criminal Court wants to arrest him. Invisible Children wants 2012 to be the year that this happens. They released this video about their campaign.
Invisible Children is not the first organization working to create change, and won't be the last, so what I want to talk about is what we can learn from their most recent campaign.
What made the Kony 2012 campaign spread so quickly?
1) Awareness. Last week many people did not know who Joseph Kony was, or the LRA, or that young children were being abducted from their homes, being forced to kill and serve as sex slaves.
Awareness is POWERFUL. I have seen so many youth post that the sharing of Kony 2012 has restored their faith in humanity, but why were you ever losing faith? Honest question. Sometimes it is not that people don't want change - they might not be aware that change is needed. Assume ignorance and look for the teachable moments in day-to-day life.
2) Delivery. Last week many people would not be willing to give up 30 minutes of their day to watch a movie about a 'charity,' or let's be honest, anything really.
Delivery matters. The video was efficient, the believers were passionate, the story was compelling, and we were told what we could do to help. It is more than making us aware, it is giving us the tools. Had Invisible Children had no action plan, would Kony 2012 have lifted off as much as it has? Sometimes it is not that people don't want change - it is that they don't know how to create change aside from monetary contributions. Sometimes it is explicitly telling someone what they can do to be helpful that moves them to lend a hand.
3) Community. Last week many people probably did not engage in conversation with their friends or family members about how they want to change the world.
The Invisible Children Action Kits come with two bracelets - one for you, and one to give to someone else. It is not my belief that no one cares, but rather that no one talks about what they care about. I think that we all have something we are passionate about, but we must recognize the possibility to amplify that passion and who is affected by it by conversing with others. Conversing, being another key word - willing to listen and open to dialogue. There is strength in numbers, and if we are all talking, there is no way our voices cannot be heard.
The power to pass along a video, or a message, or write government representatives, the power to ultimately help others, is always in our hands, in some way. We all have our individual lives and while there are those like Jason Russell who can dedicate close to 100% of their time to a cause, the reality is that most of us can't. However, whatever percentage we can - 25%, 15%, 10% - helps. We all must actively participate in some capacity for change to happen.
The first step in working for change is recognizing our role. What will you do to make change today? Listen? Share? Create?
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