How fun can make a difference
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You can make a difference to people around the world
I’ve always maintained that making something FUN is the way to get people on board with a good idea.
We can spend too long deciding whether it’s carrots or sticks that get results, but I vote for fun all the way.
Something I came across a long time ago on Jen’s “Clean Bin” was about the ‘piano staircase’. The idea was to get people WANTING to use the stairs instead of an escalator to improve their fitness.
The Fun Theory (an initiative by Volkswagen) was put to the test by turning an ordinary public staircase; which was next to an escalator, into a piano – every time you jumped on a step it played a tune. It resulted in 66% more people than normal choosing the stairs over the escalator.
Another person came up with the idea of reducing street litter in Portugal. Apparently it’s common in Portugal to have street parties on warm weekend nights but the result can be terrible litter problems. The idea was to make a juke box that isn’t powered by coins, but drinks cans and bottles. By cleaning up you can keep the party going…
Funtastic!
And so it is with this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight where a series of films starring the likes of Alistair McGowan and Jessica Hynes dancing as you’ve never seen them before, are being shown on YouTube. The idea is that through engaging music and a bit of fun you can encourage consumers to think about what they can do to make a difference to the lives on farmers in the developing world.
I know some of you support fairtrade and we’re definitely finding more and more fairtrade products in our local shops, especially the Co-Op. So if you fancy a jig around the aisles watch the video, which I found via Ebuzzing, for inspiration then head over to the Fairtrade website to find out more or check out the rest of the mini-series on the Fairtrade YouTube channel.
Cheesy? Yes!
Irritating? You betcha!
but fun too …and I bet you won’t be able to get the tune out of your head by the time you’ve finished watching a couple in the series;)
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very jiggy, silly is in, i may spontaneously erupt in a jig across the kitchen floor..
and i claim i don’t like the word ‘fun ‘ ,
not many fair trade items here yet..both coasts have plenty of coffee tea and cocoa etc via Trader Joe’ s and Wholefoods.
Nadine claims she isn’t any fun. I don’t buy it. Every time I get a comment from her on my fb or blog, I do this dance in my kitchen. I’ve never learned so much from someone I didn’t know. And never had so much fun doing it.
My favorite part of the video was at the very end where they just went back to normal, like it never happened. 🙂
Viva Fair Trade products!
@nadine sellers: I think fairtrade began over here with coffee and cocoa oh and bananas if I remember rightly; but it’s taken off like wild fire. Can I have this dance?
@Jennifer Ward-Pelar: Thanks Jen – I agree, Nadine is a super star 🙂
Tee Hee, they’re fab! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Bring on the Fairtrade Fun!
@Carrie: Glad you enjoyed it Carrie 🙂