Since 2008, we have been working on a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program for one of our clients to promote volunteering in the Thai society. As part of the program, we organized a roadshow to reach out to college students to promote the idea of volunteering and to introduce to them all the volunteering opportunities we put together for the whole year.
In Thailand, the best time to do so is during the month of July when most universities will organize an event to introduce all extracurricular activities and student clubs to their freshmen.
We made a stop at Burapa University, which is located on the Eastern Seaboard, near Pattaya. The university is around an hour’s drive from Bangkok. Most of the day was an information session – students dropped by various booths - looking at posters and asking around for information. The atmosphere was like an open air market for student activities - crowded, noisy, and hectic which put a limit on the number of people that we can effectively reach.
Highlight of the roadshow was the concert we sponsored in the evening, which was a big draw. We managed to attract 8,000 students, enough to fill a soccer field.
It was the time and place where we pitched the idea of volunteering. Surely, volunteering is a good thing. And we also want to impress on them that it is a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Volunteering is cool.
We told our story through 5 minutes of visuals and music. The core idea of our story is “Only a life lived for others is worth living.” We showed them all kinds of volunteer opportunities we put together, people and places, feeling and expressions. We commissioned an indie group to come up with the lyrics and music to tell the story.
Click here to watch video with English subtitle
We also use the video on other occasions, such as in the annual gathering of volunteers. Invoking emotions and shared experiences is a power way to kindle the love for volunteering. In the business of changing minds, timing and context make good stories great.
Comments on this entry are closed.