Arts Education Advocacy

When digital dangers become real but you aren't ready.... "Hi I'm Laura, your daughter calls me loser Laura..." The young girl stands awkwardly at the doorstep, her wounded expression revealing the pain of cyberbullying. This pivotal moment from New Zealand's "Keep It Real Online" campaign transforms digital harm into physical reality. ↳One in five young Kiwis are bullied online annually. ↳40% have online interactions with people they've never met in real life. The campaign brings digital threats to parents' doorsteps Effective cybersecurity awareness campaigns highlight crucial principles through impactful storytelling. The best way to fight cybercrime is through awareness and prevention, using statistics, stories, and practical tips. Cyberbullying, juvenile access to inappropriate content, and exposure to online violence represent interconnected cybersecurity challenges that require parental vigilance. Key cybersecurity lessons: ↳Digital threats have tangible impacts on vulnerable users, particularly children and young people. ↳Parents and educators need frameworks to initiate difficult conversations about online safety. ↳Education proves more effective than avoidance when addressing digital dangers. Creating a culture of cybersecurity awareness and responsibility involves recognizing positive behavior and discussing best practices. The main goal of effective campaigns is informing audiences about various online threats including malware, identity theft, phishing, and cyberbullying. Individuals can protect personal information by using strong, unique passwords for online accounts. Educational institutions play an essential role in advancing cybersecurity through instruction, public awareness campaigns, and safe IT infrastructure. Digital literacy remains the key to protection in our increasingly connected world. Emotional storytelling drives behavior change by creating powerful connections that statistics simply cannot match. Share your story: ↳Which campaign stopped you in your tracks? ↳How did it trigger an emotional response that influenced your behavior? ↳Why does it still resonate with you today? 👍 LIKE this post, 🔄 REPOST this to your network and follow me, Monica Jasuja

Conservation photography blends the art of visual storytelling with the urgency of environmental advocacy. Cristina "Mitty" Mittermeier, a trailblazer in this field, has dedicated her career to capturing the planet’s fragile beauty while amplifying the voices of its stewards—especially those overlooked in mainstream narratives. Her lens not only documents but also inspires action, offering hope in an era overshadowed by despair. Raised in Mexico’s semi-rural outskirts, Mittermeier developed a deep connection to nature through exploration and stories of ocean adventurers. This passion led her to study marine biology, initially dreaming of working with whales. However, witnessing the devastating impacts of industrial fishing firsthand catalyzed a shift in her path. “What I wanted to do was scream at the top of my lungs for the whole world to understand how important and fragile the ocean is,” she shared with me in an exchange last week. Feeling that science alone couldn’t engage the broader public, she turned to photography, a universal language that bridges the gap between data and emotion. Mittermeier’s work spans polar regions, equatorial rainforests, and beyond, showcasing the interconnectedness of humanity and biodiversity. Her images spotlight Indigenous communities, resilient ecosystems, and species under threat, weaving advocacy into visual storytelling. She calls her photography “visual medicine,” balancing the stark realities of environmental crises with optimism and a call to action. Her book Hope reflects this ethos, portraying a future built on possibility rather than doom. Rejecting exclusionary conservation models, Mittermeier champions approaches that honor Indigenous stewardship. "The traditional values, practices, and knowledge of the original guardians of biodiversity...are emerging as a critical component of conservation success," she notes. This philosophy underpins her co-founding of SeaLegacy, an organization amplifying conservation efforts worldwide. Her concept of “enoughness” challenges hyper-consumerism, emphasizing fulfillment through community and connection. Mittermeier’s work encourages viewers to reimagine their relationship with nature. Iconic images, such as a viral 2017 photo of a starving polar bear, reveal the power of visual storytelling to awaken collective consciousness and spark action. Mittermeier’s journey from curious child to global conservationist exemplifies the transformative power of purpose-driven art. In an age of climate anxiety, her work reminds us of humanity’s capacity for resilience and hope, urging us to envision—and strive for—a harmonious future. The interview: https://lnkd.in/gTV96i77 HOPE: https://lnkd.in/gdPC2_hr

In one part of the world, children play in sandpits. In another, they die in mining pits. That contrast isn’t poetic... it’s brutal reality. As an art director and activist, I believe visual storytelling should do more than sell. It should expose. Confront. Demand accountability. That’s what this work does. Over 360,000 children are working in copper and cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Afrewatch. These are the invisible hands behind our visible tech. The real battery behind our devices isn’t lithium ... it’s childhoods lost underground. I created this visual campaign to break the silence. Inside your phone, a life is being drained to power yours. They’re a reminder that every swipe, every charge, every upgrade comes at a cost, and too often, it’s a child’s future. As creatives, we have a responsibility to look beyond the screen. To ask harder questions. To turn design into disruption. Because what we make reflects what we tolerate. Let’s use our platforms to demand ethical supply chains, transparency, and a world where no child dies to make our devices work better. You carry the future in your hand. They’re trapped mining it. 👉 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ePESvv7r #UNICEF #Advertising #CreativeActivism #EthicalDesign #ChildLabour #CobaltMining #InsideYourPhone #DesignForChange #Africa #DRC #Congo #Apple #Samsung #Sony #AdvertisingWithPurpose #HumanRights #hashtag #VisualProtest #Creative

Are you in advocacy or influence and still using static spreadsheets as a stakeholder map? If so, you need to change course. Now. Why? Because your spreadsheet won’t properly navigate the SMH that is 2025: • Medicaid cuts in the “Big, Beautiful Bill” • AI disrupting everything • Budget deficits and stock market volatility • Wars in the Middle East, Ukraine, elsewhere • Trade wars, tariff escalations, job cuts. • Free speech fights, antisemitism, and extremism • Inflation, immigration crackdowns, data security concerns These aren’t normal times folks. And your advocacy strategy can’t be either. A real stakeholder map in 2025 should work like a live operating system: updating constantly, filtering by issue, engagement level, and digital footprint. You must constantly watering the proverbial 🌼 🌹 🌺 to win. Here’s what that looks like: Stakeholder Type: Media, Hill staff, trade orgs, agency heads, donors, advocacy groups, coalitions. The usual suspects. Still essential, but just one part of the bigger picture. By Issue: Map your landscape around what actually matters now. Different issues = different allies. Period. If you’re not tracking stakeholders across industry specific flashpoints like AI, Medicaid, trade, immigration, or DEI, you’re flying blind. By Position: Ally, neutral, detractor; on this issue, at this moment. Nobody is “always with you” anymore unless they’re on payroll. And even then. Get real about this. By Influence + Interest: High influence, low interest? Your job is to make them care. Low influence, high interest? They can still amplify or derail you. By Engagement Level: 1 = Active 2 = Warm 3 = Cold but still meaningful. Track across both allies and critics. Where’s your team spending time and why? By Relationship Owner: Who owns the relationship? What’s the origin? What’s your backup plan if they ghost? Redundancy matters more than ever. By Digital Footprint: Your map should surface stakeholders with domain authority in policy, media, and increasingly, AI platforms. If the names on your list aren’t being cited, surfaced, or scraped into training data, you’re not influencing the future conversation in the way that people search and advocate. Static stakeholder lists are a liability. They don’t flex. They don’t prioritize. They definitely don’t win. Build something smarter today, because you’re either at the table or you’re on the menu. 💪 📰 ❤️ 🏛️

I spent 8 years working on Capitol Hill. I've been lobbied thousands of times. Here are 10 strategies for lobbying Congress on an issue you care about (regardless of who wins the election next week): 1️⃣ - Begin with your own elected officials. Offices prioritize their constituents. When you reach out, provide your city and zip code to show they represent you. 2️⃣ - Have a clear ask. It's ok to explain why you're passionate about the issue, but ask them to take a specific action. See if they'll support an existing bill or letter, or if one doesn’t exist, ask them to lead the issue. 3️⃣  - Amplify your voice. Rally ten other constituents to make calls, send emails, and write letters in support of your cause. A single call won't move the needle, but multiple ones can. 4️⃣ - Contact relevant legislative staff. If you can’t find their email address online, call the main line and ask. Or stop by the office and pick up their business card. 5️⃣ - Be clear and succinct. Send a personalized email requesting a 15-minute call or meeting. Explain the issue in a few lines and attach a memo with additional information. If they don’t respond the first or second time, try something different and get creative. 6️⃣ - Provide a compelling justification. Explain why it’s in their interest to support the idea. Show them it's politically safe if it aligns with their previous positions or has constituent support. 7️⃣- Seek assistance from advocacy groups. These outside organizations can endorse the legislation, reach out to staff, and rally support from other constituents. Before supporting initiatives, legislators will often ask which groups support the idea. 8️⃣ - Validate the idea. Highlight thought leaders, academics, and experts that endorse the idea. Have them write an op-ed or ask them for a favorable quote. Their endorsement makes it easier for legislators to support your cause. 9️⃣ - Engage supportive elected officials. Ask those that already champion the idea to talk to your legislator. They will want to know if other like-minded elected officials support the issue. Peer pressure works. 🔟 - Leverage celebrities. Most stars are passionate about something. Find the one who cares about your issue and encourage them to engage. Set up briefings and events where they can speak to legislators and staff. What has worked for you? 👇 Let me know in the comments ♻️ Repost this to help other advance the issues they care about. And follow Geo Saba for more.

The stakeholder mapping frenzy is about to kick off in Brussels in the second half of the year with the arrival of a new Parliament and College of Commissioners  However, merely transferring newcomers' names, emails, and party affiliations into spreadsheets is as effective for the success of your advocacy efforts as relying on a fax machine 📠 in 2024 to transmit your messages. The strategic value of stakeholder maps lies in positioning stakeholders in relation to a specific issue. Generic mapping without a policy focus falls short as alignments can fluctuate dramatically across different files. Several methods exist for this, but the simplest and most visually clear is the PowerMap matrix, which utilizes two variables: 📌 The stakeholder's level of influence over a specific file 📌 Their level of support or alignment with your position. Placing your stakeholders into each quadrant of the matrix immediately clarifies your engagement strategy: whether to ignore, partner with, monitor, or counter. I've included all these aspects in this Miro PowerMap template. It's free to use and modify to fit your organisation's needs (copy to your board, download as an image, etc.). While you can add more dimensions and variables to this map (e.g., the level of existing engagement to distinguish between familiar contacts and newcomers), even the basic structure should offer valuable insights. Moreover, it helps deliver a visually engaging presentation for colleagues, members or clients. 👇🏼

We’ve been learning through visual storytelling since the dawn of time. From cave walls to classroom whiteboards, stories, especially visual ones, stick with us. They engage, explain, and invite us to think in ways plain text often can’t. For us in education, visual storytelling is a powerful method for simplifying complex ideas, capturing attention, and making learning memorable. That’s where comic strips come in. And no, comic strips aren’t just for language arts or art class. You can actually use them across disciplines, from exploring scientific processes to unpacking historical events, building vocabulary, teaching social-emotional skills, or sparking creative writing. When it comes to comic strip creation, there are tools that have been around for years (like MakeBeliefsComix, Pixton, and StoryboardThat) and I’ve been recommending these to teachers for as long as I can remember. They’re reliable, classroom-friendly, and easy to use. But now we also have a wave of AI-powered tools entering the scene. The new image generator in ChatGPT, for example, does an incredible job creating comic-style visuals from short prompts. Or, you can use the magic combo Canva+ ChatGPT. For instance, generate your comic script with ChatGPT, then jump into Canva, choose a comic strip template, drop in your scenes and dialogue, and you’re done. The possibilities now are more flexible and more accessible than ever. In this visual, I’m sharing a collection of classroom ideas and tools to help you bring comic strips into your teaching #VisualStorytelling #ComicStrips #EdTech #TeachingTools #CreativeLearning #AIinEducation #MedKharbach #EducatorsTechnology

#SriLanka has launched a National Campaign to end Sexual Harassment in Public Transport and Public Spaces; a long overdue intervention to keep women and girls safe as they commute to school, work, family, and community life. Why this campaign? The statistics speak for themselves: 🔹 90% of women and girls in Sri Lanka who have ever used public transportation have experienced sexual harassment on public transport 🔹 Only 4% report it 🔹 82% have witnessed others being harassed And yes, this is not the first attempt to end harassment in public transport , but we cannot and must not give up. This time, we are adopting a whole of society approach to design and implementation. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is working alongside the Ministries of Transport; Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment; Public Security and the Sri Lanka Police, in collaboration with civil society and local communities, to co create and scale solutions. Key components of the campaign include: ➕ Training and capacity building ➕ Survivor centred referral systems ➕ Public awareness and education ➕ Perpetrator accountability and strengthened enforcement Already, over 600 drivers, conductors, and instructors have been trained in harassment prevention. Codes of conduct are being developed, and workplace sensitization is underway. This campaign is not just an intervention. It is a call for cultural change; a shift from silence to accountability, from fear to safety. Public transport must be a gateway to opportunity, not a source of trauma. We must act, not only to raise awareness, but to build systems that uphold dignity, equity, and safety for all. @UNFPASriLanka is proud to stand with the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs (under the leadership of Hon. Savithri Paulraj), the Ministry of Transport (under Hon. Bimal Rathnayaka), and with the generous support of the Government of Japan. 🔶 Let’s start the conversation: What else must change to make our public spaces truly safe? ##GenderEquality #PublicSafety #LeaveNoOneBehind

🎨✨ Bringing Language to Life: Teaching English Through Art in Primary Classes ✨📚 “Art speaks where words are unable to explain," and when art meets language, learning becomes an experience—not just a lesson! In primary classrooms, children thrive when learning is visual, hands-on, and imaginative. That’s why Art Integration is a game-changer in English Language Teaching. It transforms grammar rules and vocabulary lists into colorful stories, characters, and creative expressions. Here are some powerful ways to integrate Art into English lessons: 1.Storytelling with Puppets & Stick Figures: Builds speaking skills and sequencing. Example: Students create puppets for “The Lion and the Mouse” and act out the story—practicing dialogues and retelling. 2. Paint & Describe : Strengthens vocabulary and sentence formation. Example: After painting “A Rainy Day,” learners write descriptive paragraphs using adjectives and prepositions. 3. Comic Strip Grammar: Makes tenses and sentence structure fun. Example: Children illustrate and caption a day in the life of a superhero using the simple present or past tense. 4.Vocabulary Collages: Visual mapping of words and meanings. Example: Create a collage around the word “Brave” with synonyms, visuals, and short sentences using the word. 5.Character Art & Descriptions: Boosts creative writing and grammar. Example: After reading “The Jungle Book,” students draw or dress as their favorite character and write a character sketch using nouns, verbs, and adjectives. 💫 Why does it matter? Because when language learning becomes a canvas for creativity, children feel more connected, confident, and expressive. Let’s empower students not just to learn English, but to live it, draw it, perform it, and enjoy it! 🖌️🗣️ #BringingLanguageToLife #ArtIntegratedLearning #EnglishThroughArt #CreativeClassroom #CBSETeachers #PrimaryEducation #ExperientialLearning #CreativeTeaching #NEP2020 #LanguageLearning #EduInspiration

4 Keys to Planning for a Successful Campaign 1. Evaluate past campaigns If you’ve been through a campaign at your current organization before, take some time to reflect on big questions such as: What worked well? What didn’t work so well? Were we staffed for success? Did we have a sufficient budget? If you’re lucky, your organization did a campaign debrief as part of its wrap-up process—if you weren’t around for the last campaign, ask if there is a debrief document you can review. Do yourself (and your future predecessor) a big favor: schedule an organizational debrief in this campaign’s wrap-up process. Include partners from major gift officers to advancement services analysts to leadership outside of development. 2. Review all policies Blow the dust off that handbook and dive deep into key fundraising documents and policies, including gift acceptance policies, gift agreements, naming guidelines, “levels” associated with namings, and gift celebration guidelines. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it will hopefully get you headed in the right direction. 3. Read the campaign feasibility study A campaign feasibility study is one of the core campaign planning documents. One important element of feasibility studies is to gather feedback via surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one conversations with donors and key stakeholders. The questions asked in the study give great insight as to what the campaign goals will eventually become. For example, donors may be asked to respond to their interest in special projects or key areas of organizational growth. Use the campaign feasibility study results to begin planning where you need to bolster your donor relations program. 4. Current Program Assessment Campaigns will only highlight areas of your donor relations program that aren’t functioning effectively, so get ahead by conducting an honest assessment now. Take a look at your acknowledgment process, and ask yourself, what will happen if the gift volume more than doubles? Take a look at your recognition societies and determine whether it’s time to build, revamp, or retire. Make sure you focus your time equally across the Four Pillars of Donor Relations. Incorporate donor feedback into this evaluation to gain a clear picture of what’s working and what isn’t. The more in-depth this evaluation is, the more helpful it will be as you plan for additional assignments—because you will be asked to do more as part of a campaign, including creating and managing new programming. After you complete this assessment, take a look at the ROI of your current program to see what can be paused, or eliminated, to create bandwidth for the additional campaign workload. Use the Eisenhower Matrix below to help you get a sense of the effort required and the impact created with each aspect of your donor relations program.