Invisible Children

An organization that I thought used great social web technology to get their message out there is Invisible Children. They have a Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin page, Google+ page, and a blog. One reason I chose to write about Invisible Children is because I remember being a senior in high school and having my psychology teacher putting on the YouTube video that really kick started the Kony 2012 movement. Before that day, I had never heard of Invisible Children or even who Kony was. It was such an eye opener to not only me and my classmates, but to people across the nation that these horrific things were actually going on in the world. Just some back information on Joseph Kony, he is the leader of an army who call themselves the ''Lord's Resistance Army" and they have been ruthlessly kidnapping, murdering, and displacing civilians in East and central Africa since 1987.

Invisible Children

Invisible Children found out about Kony's doings in 2003 when they met Jacob and Jolly; two people who feared for their lives and envisioned a brighter future. After this encounter, Invisible Children was formed in 2004 in order to do whatever they could to stop Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army. Invisible children uses social media to their advantage extremely well; they create films to document what the LRA is doing and educates new audience members on the subject, they use musicians and artists to introduce audiences to the cause, they have a national tour that brings the films they create to Ugandan schools, community centers, and places of worship, and have national and international events (such as the Fourth Estate Leadership Summit and Move:DC). Invisible Children also has a LRA Crisis Tracker that "broadcasts in real time the attacks" done by the LRA, early warning radio networks, put up fliers that include photos and messages from former LRA members advising current members to return home safely along with instructions, and give broadcasts urging the current members of the LRA to return home and leave Kony's vicious army.
Invisible Children's work doesn't just stop at raising awareness and having dance parties; they work on rehabilitating children and people who have been directly affected by the LRA, invest in education and economic recovery programs, gives Uganda communities with access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation, teaches adults to become literate, helps villages to manage their finances, renovates schools, and gives scholarships to Ugandan students. (All of the above information can be found on the Invisible Children's model.)

Hope, Shannon, and another friend at the Move:DC campaign

The second reason that I chose to research and write about Invisible Children is because one of my closest friends here at WSU has been promoting them since the day I met her. My friend Hope's best friend Shannon took a year off from college to intern at Invisible Children and since then has made a huge difference and influenced many other people to take part in the fight to stop Kony. Last fall, Hope met Shannon and several of their other friends in our nation's capital to take part in the Move: DC campaign where thousands of people marched to Washington, DC and rallied; they showed world leaders that they "haven't forgotten about their promises" to stop Kony.

Thousands of people showed up including celebrity activists who spoke and educated everybody on not only Kony and how to raise awareness, but how to make the world a better place. At the end of the day, there was a dance party complete with "lasers, smoke, DJs, celebrities, neon lights, and glow sticks". Move:DC brought together people from all over the world to join together for a cause and make a difference in the world.

Shannon and Hope

Hope also traveled to San Diego this summer with friends and took part in the Fourth Estate Leadership Summit. The Fourth Estate Summit is a "global justice conference...people from all over the world come to San Diego, Calif. to discuss the millennial generation's role in global justice with each other and experts in fields like business, journalism, film, and international justice." Hope's weekend in California was jammed packed with speakers, dancing, and, of course, inspiration. To find out more about the Fourth Estate Leadership Summit and what Hope experienced, visit them here. Invisible Children has been working hard since it's start in 2004 but because of social web technology, they have been able to get their message out on international levels. Without YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media websites, it would be a lot difficult to get the word out about Kony and we may not be as close as we are today in finding him.

If you want to get involved with Invisible Children or donate, please do so and help us find Kony.


Sincerely yours,

Amanda