UK Abuse Awareness Group Takes Bullying Campaign Online
March 01, 2007 |
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the UK has taken its anti-bullying campaign online to a virtual community: the popular teen and tween site Habbo. Their hope is that the campaign, which includes a three-month "stay" in the Habbo Hotel, will help them reach a new audience.
During the NSPCC's stay in the virtual community, they plan on holding online events and activities to promote their campaign, as well as driving more traffic to the NSPCC's web site, which features information and assistance for both children being abused, as well as for anyone concerned about a child who may be an abuse victim.
Habbo was actually launched in 2000, and combines elements of a virtual world similar to The Sims Online with online community sites like MySpace. According to the BBC article, there are Habbo communities in 29 countries, with the UK version drawing 750,000 unique visitors per month. Emily Knee, the digital project manager for the NSPCC, says, "It is imperative that we talk to teenagers in their own environment, much of which is online."
A previous campaign by the organization was viewed by over 13 million Habbo users, and reportedly received positive comments from Habbo residents. The BBC also reports that other groups with public service campaigns aimed at teens have used the group to push their campaigns as well.
Teenagers seem to spend much more time working the social networks on the Internet than their adult contemporaries. MySpace issues in the news are prevalent, and it's great to see the non-profit sector using these avenues to get their message out to teens. Hopefully this idea will catch on internationally and provide teens with valuable information in the environment in which they are most comfortable.
