Campaigns are organized efforts aimed at raising awareness, influencing public opinion, and mobilizing support on critical social issues. These campaigns often focus on educating the public, shaping policies, and challenging societal norms to bring about positive change. They involve a range of activities, from workshops and seminars to social media campaigns and public demonstrations.
The major Leadership Program includes.
Rethinking Rakshabandan campaign: Sahas organized an online social media campaign to reflect on the deep-rooted patriarchal mindset governing the festival of Rakshabandhan in India. Young men and women participated in this campaign sharing their narratives and thoughts about this Indian festival through video stories.
Stop staring campaign: Sahas Foundation facilitated an online campaign #Stopstaring as part of One Billion Rising inviting women and girls across India to share their experience of being stared at by men in public spaces. The objective of this campaign was to build awareness and mass action against staring by men in India. 20 women and girls across India shared chilling experiences of men staring at them, and feelings of anger, fear and vulnerability in the form of video stories.
https://www.facebook.com/Sahas.communitydevelopment/videos/642754820270968
Media and sexism campaign: Sahas Foundation organized a week-long campaign on ‘Media and sexism’ focusing on knowledge building on gender stereotypes and sexism propagated in Indian media. The campaign entailed – video stories of girls and women sharing how they feel about girls/women portrayed in Indian media and an online workshop on ‘Media and gender’. 100 people, including adolescent girls, women, men, and social activists from Patna, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Mumbai, and Delhi, participated in the workshop.
GaliKyu! Campaign: We organized an online ‘GaliKyu! The campaign invites women and girls to share their perspectives on gendered verbal abuse and ways to challenge the same. 20 women from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand strongly voiced that verbal abuse is a form of gender-based violence; it shows how society still considers women as a lesser gender and thinks that it is okay for them to discriminate against and violate women and girls. Many of them condemned and shared the incidences where they confronted and challenged the people verbally abusing them.
Azadi Campaign: Sahas Foundation facilitated a week-long Azadi campaign with the context of the completion of 78 years of Independence of India. Through this campaign, we remembered the wisdom and incredible contribution of revolutionaries namely Rabindranath Tagore, B. R Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule. Sahasi Girls raised their voices and shared on what Azadi means to them in the workshop organized in the Khusipura village. Unfortunately during the same time, the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata shocked the entire country and pushed the people to ask the very same question ‘Are we independent?’
Advocacy campaigns play a crucial role in addressing social issues, shaping public opinion, and influencing policy. By engaging in diverse program types, from workshops and seminars to media campaigns, these initiatives drive significant change. They not only raise awareness but also empower communities, challenge stereotypes, and advocate for justice. Through continuous efforts and collaboration, advocacy campaigns contribute to a more informed, equitable, and compassionate society.
