(Except for the fact that the site is in Flash and that the only social network sharing widgets/commenting capabilities to be found are related to the videos), this is a brilliant web campaign for a very important subject: the human rights of Child Solidiers. The social web has become a very dynamic tool in the activist’s toolbox, and I’m hoping to help Equitas, the human rights organisation on whose board I sit, leverage it to its full advantage as it goes through the process of revamping its own outdated website.

We definitely live in interesting times.

Check it out … and please support this initiative by War Child Canada, whose mission is to work « with children all over the world to reduce poverty, to provide education and to defend their rights. (to) work tirelessly to help children whose lives have been torn apart by conflict, providing them with the means to build a brighter future. »

Hat tip to @DonnaPapacosta who brought this to my attention through Facebook.

Disclosure update: War Child Canada is a client of Hill & Knowlton Toronto.

From the WPP Pro Bono Campaign site:

In 2008 War Child Canada, a charity which supports children in war zones, launched an intentionally deceptive and provocative campaign to call attention to the estimated 300,000 children around the world who have been forced or drafted into armed groups.

Partnering with War Child’s advertising agency, John st., H&K Toronto’s digital team helped develop a digital strategy for their ‘Help Child Soldiers’ campaign. The team used various media channels, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and blogging sites. They also contacted influential Canadian bloggers and taught War Child Canada staff how to tweet.

The ‘Help Child Soldiers’ campaign was a success. Just two weeks after it began the ‘Help Child Soldiers’ video was the number one featured video on YouTube.com’s global home page. Traffic doubled to the charity’s website (www.warchild.ca) and 1,000 people signed the campaign petition. Most importantly, donations to War Child Canada increased by $50,000 Canadian dollars, year over year.