The Nonviolence Now project makes the media landscape a healthier, more positive space by interrupting the status quo of our lives online. In the digital world, materialism and violence are actively promoted. The Gandhi Institute’s Nonviolence Now campaign strategically interrupts this trend and awakens people’s potential to be their best selves online.
The Nonviolence Now project began in January 2018 when the MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence won a global, digital media prize from the Newman’s Own Foundation and chose to dedicate the campaign to marketing the idea of nonviolence itself, especially to younger people. The prize was administered by PVBLIC Foundation, a nonprofit media organization and was launched at the United Nations’ celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s 149th birthday, October 2, 2018. A team of volunteers and staff created such an effective campaign that the prize was extended, including a full page ad in Newsweek magazine in December 2018. During 2019, the Nonviolence Now team focused on launching and supporting their sister project, Nonviolence News.
In its second phase, Nonviolence Now launched a petition campaign on the MLK holiday on January 20, 2020. Focusing on the 25 communities most impacted by violence nationally, ads for Nonviolence Now engaged over 80,000 young consumers (18-35). The ads offered an opportunity to become supporters of the national Blueprint for Peace campaign, which called on elected officials to implement effective solutions to violence. The ads also encouraged viewers to subscribe to the Nonviolence News e-newsletter. Nonviolence News shares 30-50 current stories of nonviolent actions and campaigns each week. Through this effort, Nonviolence News has effectively become the largest nonviolence journal in the country.
The focus of the national media project sharpened in March 2020, when local schools shut down due to Covid-19. Given the Institute’s investment in supporting local K-12 students, we wanted to creatively continue our work via community messaging for Rochester children, their families, and all others.
With advice from our school-based staff and expertise from marketing professionals who volunteer at Causewave Community Partners, we created a public messaging campaign that encouraged people to care for each other and think before reacting.
We featured these messages on city billboards, local buses, and lawn signs in July-September of 2021 Contact us if you’re interested in a lawn sign!
Special thanks to the City of Rochester and Monroe County who co-sponsored this campaign.
Additionally, we would like to thank the following partners: