FEATURE:
In Their Skin
A New Charity Initiative
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With animal rights/humanitarian issues at the forefront- featuring recent events- the ideals/issues of animal welfare have come under scrutiny. Great charities do great work; they need full support and funding- to ensure there are fewer cases of cruelty. It is time to do something about it…
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THE human race has outdone itself these past few weeks…
What with events in Africa. American tourists kill more than 380 lions a year: they tend to have a deficiency when it comes to guns and humanity. If it were not bad enough slaying your fellow countrymen, they want to export this sadism to the continents- take it out on poor, defenseless animals. Of course, it is not just the U.S. that is culpable: animal cruelty/neglect is a sin every nation is guilty of. Atrocities and injustices (involving animals) generate a lot of anger and unity: this past week the human race has bonded (against an evil human) and showed their solidarity- you wonder whether this will lead to action and change. Charities deserve support and backing; severe issues (like animal cruelty) need stamping out- it is something that can be avoided. We do not need vaccinations of scientific breakthrough; no need for research or money- we need for the human race to stop being c****. This may seem like an impossible conundrum: most of us are animal-loving and sage; the minority drag the world down- and question the functionality and humanities of the human race.
In the past I have started charity initiatives- for Mind and Shelter- that have reached their plateau too soon- people were not getting involved/active. I guess it is the pitfalls of social media/modern-day humans: very few will actually latch onto an idea; share good work- so long as they can be bothered. Breaking through walls- and hitting people’s consciousness more vehemently- is an ill in need of a remedy. When I launched Time out of Mind- to raise awareness of mental health issues- few took part- the idea died on its backside. Same goes for the Shelter idea: on both occasions the charities did not share the idea; unwilling to get involved- when a charity cannot be bothered to back a scheme (that would raise them funds and awareness) what the hell do you do? Wildlife conservationism and animal humanity are ideals we all can adhere to: most human beings love animals; none of them want to see them harmed/marginalised. Having a good relationship with the R.S.P.C.A.- and supporting the likes of P.E.T.A. and the W.W.F.- it got me thinking: there is a way to make some positive changes.
Social media has shown it can mobilise and augment a charity campaign; vulcanise a charity’s aims- and get people unified and working together. My idea is this: to be called In Their Skin it proposes people be more involved in animal protection- and put themselves in animals’ skins. Using SoundCloud and YouTube, it would be a music-based imitative. Music is the one thing that unites all people: it is the soother of pain; evoker of fond memories- nearly every human has a musical opinion. I understand the success of viral campaigns- the ice bucket challenge, #nomakeupselfie, Movember etc. - relies on mind-numbing simplicity- perhaps that is the idea?! If something is too complicated/time-consuming it is unlikely to appeal to the masses- many of whom have short attention-spans. I had an issue with the ‘big boy’ viral campaigns. The ice bucket challenge was simple-minded and unrelated to A.L.S.: the idea was tagged to the illness rather haphazardly and a lot of people did not donate to the charity- thus missing the point altogether. #Nomakeupselfie labored under the impression not wearing make-up was brave: there is nothing brave about being bare-faced; it is the removal of vanity and showing a human face- something more women should do more often. It belittled actual bravery: the kind cancer suffers (the campaign was raising money for) go through. Movember was also a little aimless: a random oddity that has nothing to do with anything much. In Their Skin would directly involve charities; bring in animal-related stories/issues- and is fun too…
What I want to do is work with the R.S.P.C.A., P.E.T.A. and the W.W.F. - a hell (of a lot of) acronyms, there! Whatever your views towards the charities- whether you agree with their ethics/practices or not- they work tiresly towards animal protection. Weter you are a cat or dog lover; have passion for exotic wildlife; are a committed vegetarian- that wants changes about the way animals are used and killed- then this is for you. Each user/participant would complete a three-part piece.
First: the person would go to YouTube or SoundCloud. Here you get to compile your own playlist. Consisting than (no more than) 12 songs, you get to compile a bespoke playlist- something that appeals to you. It can have brand-new music or unheard-of songs; classics and vintage hits or something very niche- the idea is to try and inspire others (with your music choices). On both platforms- in addition to naming your playlist/giving it an ‘album title’- you can design an album cover- https://www.canva.com/create/album-covers/ is the first place to visit. You can have fun with it; make it personal and fun- and share your choices with the world. It may sound like a complicated thing, yet takes little effort/strain at all: it is a very simple step-by-step procedure.
Secondly: once that playlist/album is saved (and created) the second step involves animal photos/story. Find a picture of you with an animal. It can either be your/someone else’s pet or wildlife- any photos of you with an animal. You tie this to a personal statement: what animals mean to you; why we should end cruelty- and put these two together.
Lastly: after you have done the above, it is a case of sharing it social media. You would have the playlist/photo/story together, paste in the Justgiving link- where you should donate to- and the final step (when you share this) is to nominate three people- they in turn keep the ball rolling.
Simple as that! The Justgiving page would raise money for the three charities (mentioned above) and directly involve the charities- they can share and promote the campaign on social media, too. It gets music involved; gets people thinking about their favourite music- and most importantly, it involves animals. Less inconsequential than some other campaigns, the idea is to get people involved- keep the momentum going and raise money. Through awareness and viral-level proportions, greater awareness would be raised; we can start to make big changes- educate those abuse and extinguish animal life. I understand that there is great apathy in society: social media is compartmentalised and limited; certain people will participate in this sort of thing. Attitudes and apathy needs to change; we cannot just pick-and-choose who/what we get involved with: animal cruelty/abuse is something EVERYONE should be concerned about- no excuses not to get involved.
I just need to know whether people would a) get involved and genuinely take part, and b) if this concept is too complicated/user unfriendly?
OVER to you guys!