Words by Smiley Team
Social media – often a source of division and negativity – has been used to make a positive impact by amplifying the voice of refugees, thanks to Hootsuite.
The company, which is a social media management platform, partnered with human rights non-profit Witness Change on the 1000 Dreams campaign, which aimed to humanise European refugee communities through photo-storytelling on social media.
Sarah Mardini, a refugee and an Olympic hopeful, was one of the people sharing their story through 1000 Dreams. Sarah’s father, Ezzat, was a swimmer for the Syrian Olympic team, but amidst the war, it became impossible for Sarah and her sister Yusra, to continue training.
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After her home was flattened, her family decided it was time to leave. 15 minutes into the journey from Turkey to Greece by sea, the engine cut out. Sarah and her sister jumped into the water and started swimming behind the boat, pushing it for 3.5 hours to Greece. Recently, Sarah’s younger sister, Yusra was nominated as a participant in the Refugee Olympic Team (ROC) in Tokyo.
Eva Taylor, Hootsuite’s CSR director, says the aim of their partnership was to highlight the stories and dreams of refugees through photo storytelling. Speaking to Smiley News, she explains the project was first released on World Refugee Day, the 20 June 2021, and exhibitions and further publications are scheduled throughout 2021 and beyond.
“At the time of launch, nearly 700 refugees living in Europe had shared their stories of strength, challenges and dreams, and more continue to join the initiative as part of the goal to share 1,000 stories,” she says.
“Hootsuite has provided pro bono support to advise on social, and its enterprise platform is being used to plan and manage the campaign – helping to make it easier to schedule 1000 Dreams content and review posts, as well as measuring the impact of the campaign and resulting changes in sentiment through Hootsuite’s powerful social listening tools.”
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40 refugee storytellers, from diverse backgrounds and living all over Europe, photographed and interviewed the people featured in the campaign, explains Eva. Each storyteller completed an intensive storytelling training program with Witness Change, and was provided with photography equipment.
“It is refugees supporting other refugees to document their stories that enables 1000 Dreams to provide real insight into the individual lives and experiences of refugees,” she says. In its first week, the 1000 Dreams campaign reached more than 100 million people around the world.
