A quick refresher: The Social-M Challenge is a ongoing competition where students design, ignite, and grow sustainable social movements that install lasting behavioral shifts on campuses and beyond.
Phase I was focused on idea-vetting, team-building, resource-gathering, and movement design (January 9th – January 23rd, 2010). Phase II is where teams are given one month to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of their submitted plans (January 25th – February 22nd, 2010).
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The Ethos Social-M Team at Stanford aligned its movement with the mission of Ethos Alliance. The team is comprised of Stanford students and Stanford Ethos Chapter Leaders (also Stanford students) recruited on the university campus during the 30-Day Tour.
The Ethos Social-M team has recently designed a winning micro-movement they are calling Water Bracelet. The team was awarded $1,000 for this concept by a panel of judges and experts in persuasive technology at Stanford University. These initial funds will be used to spark the Water Bracelet movement (described below).
As a nonprofit organization, Ethos Alliance is focused on alleviating the suffering of 30,000 Ecuadorians drinking oil-contaminated water by providing water purification systems.
The initial goal of the Water Bracelet movement is to persuade 200 Stanford students to complete online challenges and invite them to attend a Water Bracelet Launch Party.
Each student is invited to play a series of online challenges. Each completed challenge earns a participant a certain number of points based on the effort required to complete the challenge and the influence it carries. When a certain number of points is reached, the participant is awarded entry into a Water Bracelet Launch Party, scheduled for early March 2010. At the Launch Party, Ethos Alliance members can assign specific next steps to each student in attendance based on their interests and schedules. Each eligible participant will receive a “Water Bracelet” at the door of the party.
We’ll fill you in on what exactly the challenges are in an upcoming post. They are designed to educate participants, raise public awareness, and collect donations for the Ethos Alliance water fund in fun and engaging ways.
The “Water Bracelets” are handmade bracelets by the Cofan (a tribe located in the affected area). Each bracelet is made from native seeds and natural dyes from Ecuadorian plants. They are to be used to spark discussion, as well as a symbol of “I Raise my Hand with Ethos Alliance” and “I’ve Become a Part of the Solution in Ecuador.”
200 students at Stanford is a reasonable goal for the four weeks allotted to implement the movement. But its implications are much larger. While this particular Water Bracelet movement is only for Stanford students, the movement can be replicated once it has been tested and refined. For example, Berkeley University, one of the top 10 activist campuses in the nation, will be a great host for a movement with 1,000 participants. Streamlined movements can then be launched on colleges and universities by Ethos Chapter Leaders nation wide.
It’s a great way to initiate a large student following, introduce the situation in Ecuador to the public, and provide actionable steps for supporters of the Ethos Alliance mission.
