The problem we were asked to help solve was how best to engage the public around Save The Children’s recent focus on child and maternal health. We identified a key strategic obstacle for Save – that they couldn’t be more effective in their programs abroad until they first tackled attitudes here at home. We suggested a vital starting point was to talk to a range of people who were touched by the issue, from journalists who covered the subject to educators and community activists. The idea was to bring these people together into groups to reflect on the issue from their individual viewpoints. The aim was to encourage them to collaborate on strategies that would engage the community around this important issue.
We arranged for two groups, which we facilitated and recorded. Many of the ideas that were generated were later adopted and some of the participants were brought back to enable them to continue to contribute to the campaign. We also created a series of ads based on the perspectives brought forward in the sessions and the voices of the participants. The objective of the ads was to challenge the public’s assumptions about the issue of child and maternal health in the developing world – to make the issue more tangible and less formidable.
