New campaigns use social media for social change in India, China and Indonesia

NGOs and communications experts met in Bangkok recently to explore the latest cutting edge platforms, tools and theories on using social media for social change. Seventeen participants from India, China, and Indonesia took part in the meeting, along with representatives from UNIFEM and Demand Media, a leading online media company and expert in developing social media platforms. The meeting brought together the three organizations that are part of Partners for Prevention’s “Engaging Young Men through Social Media for the Prevention of Violence against Women” project, which aims to connect and inspire young people to take action to end violence against women and will be carried out in China, Indonesia, and India. With the support of a leading expert on social media from Demand Media, participants explored the key principles of a social media campaign, the most effective social media tools available and how they can be used creatively to reach out to boys and men to take action to end violence against women in Asia and the Pacific. The three pilot campaigns will be carried out in China, Indonesia, and India over the next 15 months, and learning from these pilots will be consolidated and shared on www.engagingmen.net .