The Save the Wetlands Campaign required planning and publicity on many fronts. I was very grateful to be able to take on the role of the social media manager within this large network of planning and teams. A small team in my neighbourhood had been working on petitions and the logistics of the campaign in terms of organising environmental police, media channels, public health officers etc. I thought having a social media campaign would be especially beneficial, particularly in terms of spreading the message and raising awareness amongst the youth. I also felt creating posters and infographics could help widespread the issue and what can be done to support it. I began by creating an instagram page as an environmental service page, which included all of the necessary details for the campaign.

I then created one of the first posters which was wide spread for the campaign, printed, shared and reposted. I created this on Canva, and added all of the required contacts and information. This information was also provided in Sinhalese and Tamil so as to ensure accessibility for all audiences.

The next thing I created was an infographics outlining what the campaign is fighting for, and why it matters in the scope of the current situation. This included the implications if the highway project went through, and the current destruction which has already occurred in Sri Lanka’s wetlands.

Next I created a second image which could be shared and reposted, and thus was eye catching and simple. This had a corresponding caption which provided further information on the day of the campaign itself in terms of how the procedure would work and where people should line up and gather.

The next post I created outlined the impact of the awareness being raised even prior to the campaign itself. After the campaign and cause started to gain momentum, signage was put up around the lake highlighting how the wetlands are a protected area which should stay protected and conserved.

Next I created an infographic outlining COVID related protocols for a safe campaign, which could be shared to ensure safety. Environmental Police and Public Health Officials were also contacted to ensure a well organised and safe event.

Speaking to the Primary Classes

Another way in which I raised awareness was by speaking to Grades 3/4/5 in primary school. I went to their morning sessions and gave them a brief presentation, followed by opening it up for questions. This was a great way to spread the word to younger grades and raise awareness in the community.

I raised awareness through a Youth Round Table which I participated in, where we spoke on environmental concerns and I was able to talk about the initiative to a larger platform (this event is further explained in a separate post).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were also newspaper articles published which supported and publicised the event.

This planning and initiating process connects to LO3 (Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience), and LO4 (4 Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences), because it took perseverance to try and reach a wider audience, and planning to make the event effective.