Empowering Younger Generations to Take Action

As we speak’s youth is craving to be on the forefront of profitable actions, tearing down and rebuilding buildings and enacting optimistic change world wide. More and more, nonprofits are leveraging this need and turning to youthful generations to drive change and change into the longer term leaders of the world. Their primary catalyst of change? Social media.

That is the driving notion at Sustainable Vitality for All (SEforALL), a younger, vibrant, and rising group that’s pushing for bolder actions to make common entry to fashionable and clear power occur by 2030. They imagine that the youthful generations are the driving forces of the present local weather motion actions; they ask essentially the most difficult questions, are open-minded, and use their very own community to achieve new audiences of leaders and supporters. By way of their platforms, SEforALL really hopes to channel the appropriate mindset and affect the longer term leaders of the world.

On this interview, you will hear immediately from Meriam Otarra, Communications Specialist at SEforALL, and you may be taught:

• Why it is necessary for nonprofit organizations to enchantment to youthful audiences these days
• Methods to join on a deeper degree with youthful audiences by means of reader-friendly, fashionable, dynamic content material
• The advertising techniques that work finest to achieve youthful audiences
• Tips about constructing consciousness and group round necessary causes through social media

This publish is a part of the #BufferBrandSpotlight, a Buffer Social Media sequence that shines a highlight on the individuals which are serving to construct outstanding manufacturers by means of social media, group constructing, content material creation, and model storytelling.

This sequence was born on Instagram tales, which implies you possibly can watch the unique interview in our Highlights discovered on our @buffer Instagram profile.

There are such a lot of nice nonprofits working arduous to make the world a greater place. We wish to assist a tiny bit relating to their social media advertising efforts. We provide a 50% low cost to all registered nonprofit organizations. Here is how one can apply for the low cost!

Inform us extra about you! What’s Sustainable Vitality for All (SEforALL) all about and what’s your function there?

Hello my title is Meriam Otarra and I’m a Visible & Digital Communications Specialist for worldwide organizations. I presently lead the artistic communications and social media for Sustainable Vitality for All (SEforALL). SEforALL is a younger, vibrant, and rising group that works with the United Nations, worldwide organizations, governments and the personal sector to make sure we obtain Sustainable Growth Purpose 7 (SDG7) — entry to fashionable, clear, dependable, and sustainable power for all — by 2030. We’re quickly celebrating a decade of SDG7 progress since SEforALL was initiated by former UN Secretary-Common Ban Ki Moon. Since then, there was an rising demand for SEforALL platforms and merchandise, and that’s why as a part of the communications crew, I be sure that these digital merchandise are:

• Reader-friendly, fashionable, dynamic;
• Reaching the appropriate audiences!

Inform us in regards to the “That is Cool” marketing campaign! What has made this marketing campaign so profitable?

From the place I’m from, which is the Philippines, a day by no means passes by with out listening to somebody say, “It’s scorching.” (Both that, or “Oh my god, it has been raining continuous for 7 days!”) And with out pressing actions to the local weather disaster, the agricultural and concrete poor in creating nations in Africa and Asia are getting increasingly vulnerable to the implications of warmth, as a result of they will’t entry or afford no matter cooling applied sciences can be found on the market.

SEforALL began the #ThisisCool marketing campaign final yr after releasing one of many family experiences known as Chilling Prospects, which tracks the worldwide improvement of delivering common sustainable cooling. The marketing campaign goals to lift consciousness of the present cooling state of affairs (final yr it was discovered that round *1.02 BILLION* persons are at high-risk as a result of lack of entry to cooling!), its challenges, and what may be executed the world over to make sustainable cooling for all a actuality.

As a part of the marketing campaign, we created a microsite with Greenhouse PR, with completely different cooling case research—from cool rooftops to farming improvements—and offered a properly illustrated toolkit that can be utilized by anybody and everybody to start out the dialog on sustainable cooling. Test it out at thisiscool.seforall.org!

Why do you imagine it’s necessary for nonprofit organizations to enchantment to youthful audiences these days?

We’ve stated it earlier than at SEforALL (and we’re positively not the primary ones to say it!), however youth are the driving forces of the present local weather motion. They aren’t afraid to talk out and demand higher insurance policies or a greater response to the pandemic that’s affecting us, youth, each short- and long-term. As social media managers, honest engagement is what we finally aspire to construct, and no less than for what I can say because the frontline of SEforALL social media, youth are those who ask questions, are open-minded, share concepts, and use their very own community to assist SEforALL attain different audiences who could have in any other case not heard about SEforALL earlier than. By way of our platforms, we will solely hope to channel the appropriate mindset and affect the longer term leaders of the world.

As social media managers, honest engagement is what we finally aspire to construct, and no less than for what I can say because the frontline of SEforALL social media, youth are those who ask questions, are open-minded, share concepts, and use their very own community to assist SEforALL attain different audiences who could have in any other case not heard about SEforALL earlier than.

As a nonprofit worldwide group, how do you join on a deeper degree with youthful audiences?

We’re not scared to dive into conversations with youth. That’s why we created the SEforALL Youth Summit final February, organized by the SEforALL youth representatives ourselves, to indicate that youth voices are wanted to be heard and that SEforALL is right here to hear. The outcomes of that Summit are additionally going to feed into the high-level conferences on power taking place this September.

What advertising techniques have you ever discovered work the most effective to achieve youthful audiences?

We discovered displaying knowledge and infographics that hit nearer to dwelling for youthful individuals have had higher engagement and reactions than most different content material. Two good examples that we’ve pushed out through the Summit have been (1) displaying knowledge by means of an infographic on the quantity of power the entire nation of Senegal makes use of versus the quantity of power Californians use enjoying video video games; and (2) no power entry, no web.

We discovered displaying knowledge and infographics that hit nearer to dwelling for youthful individuals have had higher engagement and reactions than most different content material.

For our #ThisisCool marketing campaign, we additionally reached out to youth influencers within the local weather motion sphere in Africa and Asia by commenting on their posts associated to passive cooling (see instance beneath). And solely once they observe us again will we really ship them a customized message on Twitter telling them about our marketing campaign and ask them for his or her emails so we will ship the toolkit on to them. It’s necessary for us to know that they imagine in our message as we do with them earlier than we bombard them of their inbox. With the help from Greenhouse PR, we chosen them not simply based mostly on their following depend, but in addition the standard of content material that they put out.

So far as advocacy goes, our Twitter and LinkedIn profiles have had essentially the most impression on SEforALL tasks. Twitter is fast-paced and straight to the purpose and simple to attach with our audiences within the worldwide group sector. As we (and our companions) at all times have occasions, information merchandise to launch, it’s normally the primary platform we make the most of for any marketing campaign. And whereas LinkedIn is kind of the opposite, we’ve used our LinkedIn to ascertain thought management within the power entry scene, in addition to present worth and appreciation to our workers. It’s additionally fairly stunning however a variety of our youth audiences are totally on LinkedIn.

We’ve used our LinkedIn to ascertain thought management within the power entry scene, in addition to present worth and appreciation to our workers. It’s additionally fairly stunning however a variety of our youth audiences are totally on LinkedIn.

Two phrases—well timed and timeless. At SEforALL, we don’t wish to be simply fast, we additionally need our content material to be related yesterday, right this moment, tomorrow. It helps to create content material that places the trigger into correct context, one that’s straight ahead, relatable, quick.

At SEforALL, we don’t wish to be simply fast, we additionally need our content material to be related yesterday, right this moment, tomorrow.

We just lately did a 2-minute explainer on why we’d like common power entry or Sustainable Growth Purpose 7. It was additionally created to achieve out to those that usually are not but conversant in the Sustainable Growth Targets basically. We talked about present occasions, why power is required for chilly chains for vaccine deployment, why kids want power to entry on-line training, and so on. Artwork and replica need to go hand in hand. At SEforALL, I’m fortunate to work with multimedia wordsmiths that make my work simpler.

What actions can companies and people take right this moment to make sustainable cooling a actuality?

After we take into consideration cooling, the very first thing that involves thoughts is air-con. However cooling for all depends upon many various options and with the local weather, financial, well being crises that we face, we’d like to ensure we prioritize environment friendly and inexpensive options that (1) gained’t spike power demand, and (2) don’t have damaging environmental impacts.

Enterprise, firms, people—all stakeholders—can take into consideration cooling options in 4 methods:

• Passive cooling options: no-energy options like timber that present shade or pure air flow in buildings
• Coverage options: governments prioritizing passive cooling in constructing codes or cities making certain sufficient inexperienced house to maintain the town cool
• Monetary options: making energy-efficient fridges and air conditioners simpler to buy by the mass public
• Service options: coaching individuals and corporations find out how to be extra sustainable and find out how to create sustainable merchandise

To seek out out the place we’re in delivering sustainable cooling for all and what the latest cooling improvements are on the market, we’re having a digital occasion on the discharge of our 2021 Chilling Prospects report this Might 5!

We hope this interview with Meriam helps you get began with or double down in your social media efforts. You may observe Sustainable Vitality for All on Instagram right here and on Twitter here!