Our Better World is an organization
supported by the Singapore International Foundation. It seeks to use the power
of stories to impact change. Our Better World ran a campaign called A to Z Stories for Good, which
used each letter of the alphabet to highlight an empowering word and story. The
stories included in the campaign had clear focus for individual stories (which
also means 26 separate issues) and encouraged people to help with the efforts.
For this assignment, I selected the letter U
for Uncertain. The title was Cleaning up like a
boss, and the first image is a video still of a smiling woman. This word Uncertain
surprised me because it was unlike the other words which seem to be more
positive. Words like Believe, Empower, Joy, and Real contrasted with the word
Uncertain. The four-minute video was about a woman who found uncertain
opportunities from the help of Aidha, a school to teach women in Singapore
entrepreneurial and interpersonal skills. Aidha works directly with affected women,
and it seeks to empower and provide opportunities for other members in the
community. The woman in the video turns ‘junk into treasure.’
The format of the post is relatively simple.
It begins with the video and includes minimal text description in the body of
the content. There are a few options to click to aid the cause. These options
include an option to become a mentor or sponsor. Each link takes the reader to
the necessary page, and the sponsorship is $50. There are no options to share
the blog or to make smaller contributions, so the options for supporters are
limited. However, the layout of the options is aesthetically pleasing and clear
to the reader.
Additionally, the story is told from a few
different perspectives. The video starts with a woman who had limited
opportunities. Then she found Aidha, and her life changed. I was concerned this
may be a story about victims saved by an organization, but there was little
focus on Aidha. One perspective is told from the point of view of the mentor,
and it shows why she got involved. The text uses a different perspective, which
I take as the perspective of Our Better World. It includes a little bit of
background information, and they are the one’s asking for support from the
reader.
After getting further into the video, I
realized it was not a story about victims, but it was a story about powerful
women making change in their everyday lives. Both the woman and the mentor
shared their perspectives, and I was happy at the ending when the woman showed
was proud of the progress and community contributions. The mentor had a small
role, and it seemed to be included to demonstrate to the audience of what a
mentor role could look like. At the end, the women are showed to be their own
heroes. They are sheroes.
However, this is something I often wonder
about. I sometimes feel as though people in the U.S. want stories about victims
because they want to feel like they are making a ‘meaningful’ contribution.
Because this story presents the issue, shows how someone made an effort to make
a difference, and the women are happy, I wonder about the impact. At this time,
I have not found out how well this section of the campaign did, but I am
interested in the U.S. perception of stories about victims compared to the
stories of those who are empowered.
As an effort to crowdsource, I am not sure
if this post did what it was supposed to do. I think it would have been useful
to have a share option, which is possible on social media, but there is not an
option on the website. Additionally, I thought this story was pleasantly surprising
in the campaign because of the varying use of the letter U. It did a great job
of showing the positive in the word Uncertain, and it served as a good reminder
that life is uncertain, but that does not mean it can’t be beautiful too.
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