Introduction:

The National Service Training Program 2 complements the knowledge learned from NSTP 1. As a pre-
requisite course, it is designed to empower students with the foundation of community projects, its
planning and implementation through the project’s advocacies which can contribute to the general
welfare and can improve the quality of life of people in the community.

The topic shall provide ways for students to be involved in various community projects and are expected
to undergo community participation whre they can engage themselves in the implementation of the
community projects.

Objectives:

At the end of the module, the student should be able to:

- Explain the importance or benefits of community projects.

- Identify, understand, and analyze the challenges of community projects and advocacy.
- Choose and implement a project that would promote consciousness involving local issues,
concerns and responsible citizenship as future professionals.
- Empower themselves and the people in the community.

1. What is Service Learning or Community Engagement?

In the words of the National Service Learning Clearinghouse, it is “a teaching and learning strategy that
integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning
experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.” Or, to quote Vanderbilt
University’s Janet S. Eyler (winner of the 2003 Thomas Ehrlich Faculty Award for Service Learning) and
Dwight E. Giles, Jr., it is

“a form of experiential education where learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection as
students . . . seek to achieve real objectives for the community and deeper understanding and skills for
themselves. In the process, students link personal and social development with academic and cognitive
development. . . experience enhances understanding; understanding leads to more effective action.”

Typically, community engagement is incorporated into a course or series of courses by way of a project
that has both learning and community action goals. This project is designed via collaboration between
faculty and community partners, such as non-governmental organizations or government agencies. The
project asks students to apply course content to community-based activities. This gives students
experiential opportunities to learn in real world contexts and develop skills of community engagement,
while affording community partners opportunities to address significant needs. Vanderbilt University’s
Sharon Shields has argued that service learning is “one of the most significant teaching methodologies
gaining momentum on many campuses.” [1] Indeed, when done well, teaching through community
engagement benefits students, faculty, communities, and institutions of higher education. Below are
some of the benefits that education researchers and practitioners have associated with community
engaged teaching.

2. Importance / Benefits of Community Projects

2.1 To Students

LEARNING OUTCOMES

- -Positive impact on students’ academic learning

- -Improves students’ ability to apply what they have learned in “the real world”
- Positive impact on academic outcomes such as demonstrated complexity of understanding,
problem analysis, problem-solving, critical thinking, and cognitive development
- Improved ability to understand complexity and ambiguity

PERSONAL OUTCOMES

- Greater sense of personal efficacy, personal identity, spiritual growth, and moral development
- Greater interpersonal development, particularly the ability to work well with others, and build
leadership and communication skills

SOCIAL OUTCOMES

- Reduced stereotypes and greater inter-cultural understanding

- Improved social responsibility and citizenship skills
- Greater involvement in community service after graduation

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

- Connections with professionals and community members for learning and career opportunities
- Greater academic learning, leadership skills, and personal efficacy can lead to greater
opportunity
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE INSTITUTION

- Stronger relationships with faculty

- Greater satisfaction with college
- Improved graduation rates

2.2 To Faculty

- Satisfaction with the quality of student learning

- New avenues for research and publication via new relationships between faculty and
community
- Providing networking opportunities with engaged faculty in other disciplines or institutions
- A stronger commitment to one’s research

2.3 To the University

- Improved institutional commitment to the curriculum

- -Improved student retention
- Enhanced community relations

2.4 To the Community

- Satisfaction with student participation

- Valuable human resources needed to achieve community goals
- New energy, enthusiasm and perspectives applied to community work
- Enhanced community-university relations

3. Examples of Great Community Service Projects

Collect Food

Contact your local food bank and they will provide you with the necessary information and materials to
have a food drive. Encourage people to donate their favorite food items. You can even offer prizes to
individuals who donate the most!

Recycling Program
Starting a recycling program is a big task but a worthwhile one. Here’s a great guide to get you started.
When you recycle, those items can be turned into amazing things, like the Green Guardian coat, made
from recycled PET plastic bottles.

Community Garden

A community garden is a great way to bond with your community and provide healthy food. You may be
able to identify a sponsor to help get your garden started. Consider making a garden just for children, so
they can learn about the process of gardening. It is a great educational opportunity.

Cleanup

A community cleanup will improve the look of your neighborhood or park and inspire people to keep the
space looking great. Hosting a potluck after is a wonderful way to celebrate this community
achievement!

Blood drive

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. By hosting a blood drive, you and your community
can make a real difference. The American Red Cross provides planning assistance, recruitment tools,
equipment, supplies, and a trained staff to screen and collect donations safely.

Neighborhood Watch Group

Starting or joining a neighborhood watch group is easy. Once you recruit as many neighbors as possible
you can contact your local law enforcement agency to schedule a meeting to get additional information.
Holding regular meetings and events is another way to bring your community together.

Give New Coats to Kids in Need

Starting an Operation Warm coat program for your local low-income school is a great way to serve your
community. You select the school, set your fundraising goal, and hand out the brand new coats
yourselves. This is a wonderful way to strengthen your community ties while helping local children stay
warm.

Community Newsletter

Organizing a community newsletter is a fun way to get the word out and get people involved in activities
in your neighborhood and community. Here is a great comprehensive guide to get you started.

Volunteer

Volunteering is a rewarding experience that brings people of all ages together for a good cause. Get
involved with a great organization like Habitat for Humanity or Operation Warm.

Coach

Are you into sports? Do you spend most of your free time on the field or watching your favorite team?
Become a volunteer coach or referee with a local youth team. Your town recreation department, Boys
and Girls Club or Y is probably looking for volunteers, and they should be so lucky to have someone with
your expertise!

Community

It is defined as a group of people who share something in common. One can define a community by the
shared attributes of the people in it and/or by the strength of the connections among them. You need a
bunch of people who are alike in some way, who feel some sense of belonging or interpersonal
connection. Communities are technically human beings that share common goal and interest.

Types of Community

 FORMAL COMMUNITIES- engage in joint activities and discussion, help each other, and share
information with each other; they care about their standing with each other.

o Examples: Ecovillages, Co-housing communities, Co-ops communities, and Religious

communities
 INFORMAL COMMUNITIES- consists of a set of personal relations, social networks, common
interest and emotional sources of motivation.

o Examples: Academic communities, Recreation communities and Retirement

communities

 URBAN COMMUNITIES- large in terms of land area & population, advanced in science &
technology, with favorable physical environment and & diverse cultures, and the people are
engaged in various occupations.

o Characteristics of urban communities:

 Advancement in science and technology, many business establishments,

recreational centers, educational and religious institutions, people are crowded,
social heterogeneity, class extremes and greater pollution;

 Many crimes are committed, Family ties tend to be weak, Limited space, Greater
impersonality among neighbors, Higher standard of living, Shortage of
employment, Informal settlers are rampant;

 A lot of hazards and dangers, a `Greater number of separation of spouses and

live- in arrangements, Major occupations are industrial, administrative and
professional, Divisions of labor and occupational specialization are very much
common

 RURAL COMMUNITIES- usually produce their own food for subsistence

o Characteristics of rural communities ,

 Greater personal interaction, Deep, long-term relationships, Generally, peace

and order exists, Mutual give and take affairs, Emphasis of shared values,
Vernacular is usually spoken, Wider area;

 Influence of blood relationships in decision making, Homogenous type of

culture, Belief in supernatural and superstitious beliefs, Relationship is more
personal and informal, Less pollution, Few establishments and institutions, Few
goods and services

 GLOBAL COMMUNITIES- it is the international aggregate of nation-states.

o Global communities or what we refer to as the “World Community” they have common
point of view towards issues of human rights, global warming and climate change, peace
and order, socio-economic conditions as well as disputed issues such as territorial
conflict.

 SECTORAL COMMUNITIES-

o this include the voluntary sector or non-profit sector

o The Voluntary, non-profit and non-governmental sectors, also called third sector (in
contrast to public and private sector), NGOs: Non-governmental organizations
  SOCIAL SPACE COMMUNITIES- based on social spaces

o A social space is a physical or virtual space:

o Physical: social center, gathering place, town squares, parks, pubs, shopping malls;

o Virtual: online social media, websites.

o Characteristics of social spaces- People gather at information grounds for a primary

purpose other than information sharing, Attended by different social types, Social
interaction is a primary activity, Information occurs in many directions, Information is
used in alternative ways, many sub-contexts exist; together they form grand context.

What characterizes a community?

According to Paronen and Oja, there are six main features which characterize a community:

1. A community is typified by the membership; that is its members have a sense of identity
and belonging.
2. A community consists of common symbol systems, such as similar language, religion,
and practices.
3. Community members share norms and values.
4. They have a sense of mutual influence, whereby they influence and are influenced by
each other (reciprocity).
5. A community is characterized by shared needs and committed to meeting those needs.
6. Community members typically share an emotional connection, such as common history,
mutual support, and similar experiences.

What Is Community Service?

Community service is any kind of work done either by a person or a group of people with the
objective to benefit others. Typically, this kind of work is done on a volunteer basis, which
means there is no monetary outcome. You are basically volunteering your time and effort to
help. There are many different ways to help your community, focusing on various areas —
children, animals, senior citizens, people with disabilities and the environment are a few
examples.

Usually, such work is organized by a local group, like a school or non-profit. However, you may
start your own community service group and take on projects of your choice.
Why Should You Participate in Community
Service?
 There are a number of reasons why one should engage in activities that positively benefit the
community. Most students are required to put in a few hours of community service organized by
their school or college as a graduation requirement. In some countries, community service is
court-mandated — you have to complete a certain number of hours ordered by a judge.

There are other reasons to participate in community service other than being required, or forced,
to do so. Indeed, volunteering does have numerous personal benefits too. Here are some of the
reasons, apart from benefiting the community, why one should consider engaging in community
service:

1. Helps you develop a richer perspective of the world

2. Develop an increased sense of social responsibility
3. Often results in psychological and emotional growth
4. Improves lifelong communication, interpersonal and critical thinking skills
5. Helps students find their passion and interests that could potentially lead career choices
they may have failed to consider otherwise
6. Can help strengthen college applications and resume
7. Can be a great way to meet new people and make friends
8. Provides you with an opportunity to gain work experience
9. Allows you to quickly step up to leadership positions within organizations
10. Provides an opportunity to apply academic learning to real life events

The opportunity to see, first-hand, how your work can benefit someone is very important.
Moreover, expanding our worldview by looking beyond what most us of frequently taken for
granted leaves a lasting mark on an individual. Finally, interacting with people who have vastly
different backgrounds teaches us patience and empathy as you develop a global perspective.

Physical activity programs for community

development
The following elements have been identified as important aspects of programs that aim to build
stronger communities:

1. Connecting the social, cultural, environmental and economic spheres in the community.
2. Improving the quality of life of community populations and gaining mutual benefit
among community members.
3. Creating opportunities and encouraging community members to participate in community
activities, from employment to social events to civic duties.
 4. Empowering communities, helping them to take advantage of opportunities and to take
shared responsibility for their wellbeing.
5. Recognizing the diversity of interests within a community and how that may affect the
capacity building.
6. Engaging people from the community, government, and private sectors to work together
to address community issues, solve problems in their community, and achieve common
goals.

Tips for working together and increasing

productivity
1. Set goals and monitor your performance. Make sure you define realistic goals and decide how
you will measure the outcome and your success.
2. Create effective plans for reaching those goals. Now that you know what to accomplish, you
need to identify the steps you need to take to achieve the goal, dedicate tasks according to
skills, and manage time wisely.
3. Communicate clearly. Every team member should keep others updated on their progress. Clear
and straightforward communication leads to more productivity.
4. Solve problems together. The team needs to work together to solve unexpected problems.
Addressing conflict before it becomes a more significant problem is also important.
5. Be open. Teams need to be honest with each other. There is a willingness to listen to others and
to work through stressful situations constructively.  
6. Respect individuality. Remember that each group is composed of different skills and
personalities. Understanding what each person can bring to the table is critical to success.

How to Positively Benefit Your Community

as a Student
One very effective way for you to benefit and improve your community greatly is through
community service. In the process, community service will also help you acquire skills and
knowledge, and gain essential experience that you can include on your resume. Although the sole
purpose of benefiting your community positively shouldn’t be an updated resume. Engaging in
community service as a student helps you become an active part of your community, which will
certainly serve to make a positive impact. Some of the skills you are likely to gain through social
work include:

1. Leadership
2. Problem-solving
3. Collaboration with others
4. Time management
5. Communication

REMEMBER!
If you want to be more relevant to a community you already engage, there are a few
questions you should ask yourself. Answering these questions will help you figure out
what you feel most passionate towards. It is important to compare tasks based on their
perceived importance. Recall the quote above, no act of kindness, no matter how small,
is ever wasted.

1. What do you already know about the people within it?

2. Do you know how connected people feel to each other?
3. Are there identifiable leaders or representatives you can talk with about their shared
issues, goals, and dreams?
4. Who and/or what are you passionate about?
5. Is there a particular activity you enjoy doing that you could do to help in some way?
Like, baking or drawing.
6. Do you want a long-term activity, something that you can do for short amount of time or
a one-time activity?
7. Why do you want to do this?
8. What is the impact you would like to have?
9. If your impact is quantifiable — an “amount raised” for instance — what is your goal?
10. What do you wish to learn?

After assessing, then you may start tapping people to help you materialized your goal. Present to
them the objectives of your project, involve them in the planning up to the decision making
processes, so they may feel that they are really into it.

Ideas on How to Benefit the Community

1. Pick up some trash. Head out and spend a few hours beautifying your surroundings. Start
small in your own neighborhood
2. Start a violence protection group in your community
3. Participate in a charity walk or run
4. Host an Earth Day event
5. Create and distribute a list of hotlines for people who might need help
6. Teach a home-alone safety class for children
7. Gather a group of friends or talk to one of the on-campus clubs to package meals for the
homeless in the surrounding city
8. At the end of the semester, create a textbook donation drive so students can donate used
textbooks to redistribute to low-income students for free
9. Create a summer reading program
10. Teach classes for a skill you have

Challenges of community engagement:

1. Attitudes and expectations:
There may be a feeling in the community that they cannot provide constructive input, won’t be
taken seriously or cannot influence the decision-making process. It may be difficult for them to
contribute skills, resources and time because of geographic or cultural barriers.

2. Characteristics of urban communities

Close communities are common in rural areas. In urban areas, the members of the community
may not know each other, so communities may be more fragmented. Urban communities are
very mixed, with diverse backgrounds and needs that can make it difficult to accommodate
different people’s interests. Communicating technical information in an understandable manner
is also made more difficult if local residents speak different languages or have conflicting
priorities.

3. Commitment to the future:

Higher levels of community engagement continue beyond the initial planning stage to project
management and maintenance. This requires a continuing commitment from all stakeholders.
Preparing plans for the future and identifying possible challenges that may arise can help with
preparations to avoid them and should improve sustainability of the project.

M3: Leveraging Social Media Advocacies 3.2. The

Importance of Social Media
Social media are online services and tools used for publishing, sharing and discussing
information. They can include forums, blogs, wikis, social networking websites, micro-
blogging sites, mobile communication apps and any other websites that allow individual
users to upload and share content in real time from any location.
 
Social media services and tools use a variety of different formats, for example text,
pictures, video and audio. These are increasingly being used by people on smartphones
and tablets while out and about.
 
These days, you will also find social media tools in most traditional websites, making the
internet more interactive and social. This might involve watching a video, using a live
chat box, using social media share buttons, adding a comment and much more. Ten
years ago most websites were like brochures and we could only read text.
 
For community groups, social media can provide new ways to communicate, share
information and build networks locally, nationally, and internationally. It also allows you
to reach new audiences based on common interests.
 
The unique ability for online tools and social media to enable people to talk, listen,
support and collaborate with anyone, at any time and in any place, means that social
media is here to stay, and is becoming the norm.
 
Social media can help community groups and organizations:

 Get their message out quickly and effectively to a large number of people
 Listen to what the community is saying online and tailor their services to meet
their needs
 Engage and grow online communities (often involving people they would never
have engaged through traditional communication)
 Target information to certain users in certain channels
 Collaborate with and get input and assistance from the community
 Communicate in real time with stakeholders (e.g. live from events)
 Share information more easily internally between staff, volunteers and partners

 
By effectively using social media community groups and organizations can:

 Raise their profile within the community

 Increase the number of participants in programs and events
 Raise more money
 Recruit and retain more volunteers

 
What is digital advocacy?

 Digital advocacy is the use of digital technology to contact, inform, and mobilize a
group of concerned people around an issue or cause.
 The purpose of digital advocacy is to galvanize supporters to take action.
 Common digital advocacy tools include:

 
 
Why should you use social media for digital advocacy?

 Social media:
 Costs little or nothing to set-up
 Has a potentially wide reach
 Allows you to share messages instantly
 Offers new opportunities to listen, engage, and monitor your progress
 
When might you use social media?

 You can join and participate in social media networks at any time
 But when you post messages and other communications, be sure to consider
who your audience is, and when they are most likely to be on social networking
sites, to maximize the number of people who see your updates
 You might want to develop a content plan or editorial calendar of topics to post,
which will include the timing of advocacy requests and key dates for desired
outcomes.
o This will help ensure that your social media presence is consistent.
o Be sure to allow enough flexibility to react to current events.
 You’ll also want to integrate any online efforts with your offline efforts (printed
materials, public relations, media outreach) to maximize success. Make sure you
include social media reference points on printed materials, and promote content
from printed materials online.

How do you use social media for digital advocacy? 

 Conduct a brief strategic review

o Clarify your goals and social media objectives
o What kind of direct action are you trying to prompt?
o Research and evaluate where your supporters are most likely to be online
o Evaluate the time and resources available to you and your team to devote
to social media
o Determine how you will measure success
 Monitoring sites such as Google Analytics, Technorati, Hootsuite,
etc., might be helpful

 Sign up for social media accounts

o Select one central platform (most likely a website, blog, or Facebook
Causes page)
o Choose a combination of social media tools that will be most likely to help
you communicate with and engage supporters
 Facebook and Twitter are currently the two most used social
networking sites, and a great place to start
 Easy-to-use websites include Weebly and Squarespace
 Some options for blogs are: Wordpress, Moveable Type, Typepad,
and Blogger
o  Sign up for accounts and enter your profile information
 Become familiar with the social media tools you have chosen
o Learn the common terms and conventions of the tools you are using –
“hashtags” on Twitter, tagging other users on Facebook, etc.
o Listen and monitor activity
o Engage in conversations
o Develop a voice that is authentic and engaging
o Request the action you are seeking in a clear and direct way
o Build in metrics for evaluating progress andmeasuring success

 Develop systems for managing your digital advocacy efforts

o Develop a single content plan / calendar of topics to post, outlining timing
of advocacy requests and desired outcomes
o Integrate and streamline social media efforts to avoid duplicating your
posts and overwhelming your supporters
o Integrate online and offline efforts

 Monitor your efforts and adjust as needed

o Use the metrics you established earlier to measure your progress
o Listen to your supporters
o Encourage and support your most active participants
o Review other social media tools that could support your cause, and if you
have the resources, begin using them as well
o If you stop using a social media tool, take the content down or redirect
visitors to an area where there is active engagement
o Evaluate and revise strategies as necessary
 Countless examples exist across all social media platforms of non-profit
organizations and community movements using the Internet to not only get their
message out, but to use social media to unify people across the country and
internationally to take action.
  
 Example 1: Facebook
  
 ASPCA
 The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals uses their
Facebook page to encourage involvement in many ways. They post videos of
cats and dogs that are up for adoption through the Humane Society and other
shelters, calling on their followers to help the animals find a home, either by
adopting themselves, or simply sharing the videos with their networks to spread
the word. They also call for direct action, such as signing a pledge to fight puppy
mills by boycotting any pet stores that sell puppies. They also use the Facebook
page to share inspiring news stories that align with their followers’ interests.
   
 LIVESTRONG
 The Livestrong Facebook page shares information on Livestrong events across
the country, including fundraising activities that help fund cancer research,
shares links to relevant news articles about cancer prevention, and provides a
place for cancer survivors to share their stories and inspire others.
  
 JDRF ADVOCACY
 The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Facebook page provides the
latest information on advances in Type 1 Diabetes research, and allows people
to share their stories, and tell why they support the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation. The page also tracks developments in legislation that affect diabetes
research and the JDRF, such as votes on funding.
  
 CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION OF MID-AMERICA
 The Children’s Foundation of Mid-America is an organization in Missouri that
provides social, psychological, and educational services to children and families.
The organization uses their Facebook page to share news stories that can help
improve children’s lives, such as an examination of why kids drop out of school,
or why children bully and how to end the cycle. They also share information
about local events, and encourage people to share their stories.

THE “OCCUPY WALL STREET” MOVEMENT

Twitter was also a big part of the success of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Occupy
participants used tweets to tell people where to gather, share up-to-the-minute news of
what was happening at Occupy events across the nation, share inspiring quotes, even
post pictures of what they were experiencing.
 
 
AVOIDING GANG VIOLENCE IN VERACRUZ, MEXICO
In Mexico, Twitter is vital to many citizens, but for a different reason than the Arab
Spring or Occupy Wall Street – for those movements, Twitter provided a way to unify
people across geographic areas and spur change. In Mexico, Twitter has become an
important tool for simply getting through the day safely. In areas ravaged by cartel
violence, Twitter is often used to provide real-time information about dangerous
locations to avoid. But this innovative use of Twitter is not without drawbacks – public
officials believe that if such messages contain false information, they can spread public
panic for no reason, sometimes creating problems where there were none. But others
argue that drug cartels often successfully enforce information blackouts at the local level
by intimidating the police and reporters, and that decentralized methods of
communication such as Twitter are the only way to effectively get information out to
keep people safe.

Change.org is a social action platform where anyone can start a petition about an issue they
feel passionate about. Change.org provides a guide for getting started, with examples of past
petitions. The website has several categories that they consider “Top Causes” – animals,
criminal justice, economic justice, education, environment, gay rights, health, human rights,
human trafficking, immigrant rights, sustainable food, and women’s rights. One of the most
successful recent petitions was started by the parents of Trayvon Martin, calling for a full-
fledged investigation in the case, as well as the arrest of the acknowledged shooter, George
Zimmerman.

iPetitions is another website that allows users to create their own petitions. A recent successful
petition was A Call for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai for the
Immediate Release of Gulnaz. In 2009, Gulnaz, an 18-year old girl in Afghanistan, was raped,
impregnated as a result of the rape, and subsequently put in prison for adultery. Gulnaz (who
was a virgin and unmarried) was raped by her cousin’s husband. She and her baby daughter,
who was born in prison, had been imprisoned for almost two years when the petition was
created. The petition helped bring international attention to the situation, and in December 2011,
Gulnaz was released.

MoveOn.org Civic Action is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, set up in 2001, that has raised
over $20 million dollars, all in small dollar contributions. Moveon.org works with allies and other
non-profit organizations to build a strong, unified voice, with campaigns on a variety of issues.
And when Oxfam America, an international relief organization, requested donations for food aid
for Iraq, MoveOn.org raised over $500,000 in less than a month by simply sending out a
message to the folks on its e-mail list asking them to contribute online. Browse MoveOn.org's
current campaigns

A hybrid of ordinary blogging platforms, such as Typepad or Wordpress, and of the microblogging site
Twitter, Tumblr gives users the ability to post photos, videos and messages and share with people they
don’t know. We Are the 99 Percent is a blog prompted by the Occupy Wall Street movement that allows
people to share their stories – about homes being foreclosed on, medical bills that pile up, poor job
security, etc., and support the Occupy movement.

Foursquare is essentially a social city guide with the ability to recommend places based on your
activity, that of your friends and other foursquare users. You use your phone to “check in” at
different places you visit, from bars and restaurants to parks, museums, etc. But your account
can also help you find and mobilize a base of willing volunteers and donors.  For example, Big
Love Little Hearts, an organization which helps children in developing countries with heart
defects, raised $25K in just 24 hours by getting a donor to contribute $1 when someone
checked in with Foursquare or tweeted using the hashtag #100by100. The money raised was
enough to pay for 12 heart surgeries.

ORGANIZING BONE MARROW DRIVES USING FACEBOOK, GOOGLE DOCS, AND

YOUTUBE
When Stanford graduate Sameer Bhatia and his friend Vinay were diagnosed with
leukemia, they decided to use social media and the vast reach of the internet to fight the
disease. Doctors said the odds of a bone marrow match were 1 in 20,000, so they used
web services like Facebook, Google Docs, and YouTube to mobilize and empower
others to organize bone marrow drives all over the country. In 11 weeks, Sameer and
Vinay’s supporters registered 24,611 South Asians into the bone marrow registry and
found a match for both. And the 7,500 people they registered in the San Francisco Bay
Area, where Sameer lived, yielded 80 matches for other leukemia patients.  Both
Sameer and Vinay received transplants, but tragically, both passed away some months
later, succumbing to AML. The changes they effected did not end with their deaths,
however. The potential lives saved in the past two years because of the 24,611 South
Asians now in the registry numbers over 250.
 
2008 CAMPAIGN: OBAMA'S SOCIAL MEDIA ADVANTAGE
The 2008 Presidential election was unique in many ways, one of which was the
influence and power of social media. There are many articles that explore how social
media may have strengthened Barack Obama’s campaign by helping him connect to
voters on a more personal level. By using social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter,
and YouTube to spread his message, he created a sense of connection and
engagement among his followers. Grassroots movements and local community
organizations were instrumental in getting out the vote, fundraising, even creating their
own Youtube videos, tweets, and Facebook posts to show their support. In other words,
the online movement was powerful enough to create offline engagement.

In February 2014, Food Babe Vani Hari (of foodbabe.com) mobilized an army of
supporters to successfully petition Subway to stop using “azodicarbonamide (ADA)” in
their breads. ADA is a chemical compound found in plastics, synthetic leather, and
ceramics. Her integrated approach included a blog post, video, petitions on her website,
twitter appeals integrating the hashtag #NoWaySubway, and a Facebook page.

We #PrayedFor Syria, Palestine, Paris, and Boston. We dumped buckets of ice over our
heads. And we made #LoveWin. Social media advocacy is a powerful strategy. But it’s
a double-edged sword.
 
The Good - The first and most immediate benefit of using social media for advocacy
is awareness. In your social media advocacy, the first goal is to let as many people
know that your cause exists. Awareness isn’t enough, of course. Even if people know
that your advocacy exists, they might not understand what it is so social media is an
excellent tool for education, this is not just to explain what you’re fighting for e.g. you’re
a feminist organization committed to forwarding women’s rights, but also to use
Facebook or Twitter to tell people what you think is wrong with society.
 
The Bad - While social media is a powerful tool for advocacy, it can also work against
the cause. Social media campaigns tend to simplify the advocacy to a hashtag. It
defeats the purpose of educating people because the focus is not on the cause itself but
the campaign activity. A lot of the participants simply joined the bandwagon because of
the hype and because celebrities were doing it which didn’t really gain genuine interest
for the advocacy.
 
The Gap - For any social media campaign to be successful, there must be a clear goal:
whether it’s to spread awareness, or to inspire action in the community or to donate.
The goal is the basis for everything you do in the campaign, and all hashtags you will
use. It’s also important to identify your target audience. Since advocacy rely on public
support, it is also crucial to create relatable content. This is to make sure that people
understand what you’re trying to tell them. Using comics to explain concepts, or letting
the audience imagine themselves in the shoes of the people you are trying to protect
are very useful strategies in getting your posts noticed. And if the goal is to get people
to act, call to actions must not only tell the people to help, but also  how to help. It’s not
enough to tell the world to stop discrimination: it’s more important to tell them how
discrimination happens and what they can do stop them. It’s not enough to tell them to
#Blacklivesmatter: it’s more important to tell them how. To inspire action, you also need
to tell them why they should do what you’re telling them to do. Why should they donate
in your fundraiser? Why should they support your advocacy? And, why should they
care?
 
Social media is a storytelling platform and advocacies are about real people with real
problems. This why they go together and this is why we need to be responsible in using
it—because social media can help or hurt those people based on how you wield it.