Shift
Activating young people to shift the dial on issues that matter most to them.
Youth are effective change makers within society. They believe in possibility and want to play a role in shaping their future. Often ignored, dismissed, or de-legitimised by decision-makers, their efforts for change can be stifled.
Shift is a campaign accelerator designed to change that, to amplify their voices, strengthen their actions and inspire positive change.
Objective
To strengthen and amplify the voices and accelerate the actions of young people inspiring positive change.
Demographic
15-25 year old youth groups
Type of work
Branding, Strategy, Workshops & Facilitation, Training & Mentoring
Themes
Youth Empowerment, Climate & Environment, Gender Equality, Cultural Heritage
Links
The Shift Shack
Intro
Bridge designed and piloted Shift, Save the Children’s youth campaign accelerator. It provides the skills, tools, networks and seed funding for young people to identify, plan and run campaigns that address the most important issues their communities are facing.
It began with three campaigns in Myanmar, and has now been taken on by Save the Children to scale up globally.
Research & Strategy
Deference and elder hierarchy play a large part in Myanmar society. Teenagers and the youth are often silenced by social protocol, especially when it comes to issues of public policy.
Shift existed to change that, to amplify their voices, strengthen their actions and inspire positive change across Myanmar and then the world.
At the core of Shift’s methodology is participation and experiential learning. We aimed for young, accessible, fun approach that could appeal to young people looking to shift power in Myanmar, and across the global south.
The focus was on their issues, their campaign and learning advocacy, activism and campaigning by getting out and doing it. The accelerator was designed to walk through crucial aspects of research and strategic processes with each youth group, giving them skills to use again and pass on.
Theory of change
If Shift equips youth groups with skills and knowledge and connects them to networks, guidance and funding, they can implement campaigns, grow movements and influence change on issues that matter most.
Creative
We designed the SHIFT brand and developed a 3-day workshop that helped our groups brainstorm and develop campaign ideas into a robust strategic plan.
The workshop was designed to let the groups take the lead in defining the issue and goal, designing the campaign and measurement approach and being responsible for the delivery. We also provided expertise and mentorship to develop campaign materials and guide them through campaign execution.
Three very diverse campaigns were planned and executed over 3 months by the youth groups to create awareness, change policy and influence decision-makers —even leading to a policy change around the public publishing of air quality readings.
Know what you breathe
In Yangon, Air Quality Yangon - a group of environmental activists delivered Know What You Breathe: a campaign designed to raise awareness about pollution in the city, featuring their fluent device, Air Bear.
6.7m
Reach
45
Media outlets
1000+
Online pledges
Advocacy win:
Yangon City District Council made public previously unreleased daily air quality readings
Young city shapers
Another group from Yangon, saw the ‘Young City Shapers’ challenge plastic use and use placemaking to grow a communal sense of shared responsibility.
2m
Reach
16
Media outlets
500
Residents mobilised
Advocacy win
Earned the support of 3 government officials
Colourful Strength
A group from girls from a rural village in the Mandalay region launched the Colorful Girls “Colorful Strength” campaign aimed at empowering young girls to speak up on sexual harassment and encouraging boys to be a better ally to girls in their community, using music to deliver their message.
600
Participants in community event
Advocacy win
Young girls held won over monks, community leaders, boys in their community to become allies for girls.
Legacy
Shift is now a global movement and has been used in 6 countries in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. As of January 2023, SHIFT has been implemented in 20 countries around the world. We are proud of our part in helping establish this great initiative, and proud of all the young people making the most of these opportunities to change things for the better.
You can learn more about their current approach below, and catch up with all those amazing young activists from around the world at the Shift Shack.
