The band announcing their social awareness campaign.
Action1D is a social media based humanitarian project created by One Direction, in association with Action 2015[1], designed to raise awareness about current world issues. It aims to garner the attention of as many world leaders as possible before they attend various world summits later in the year.
The campaign was launched on July 8, 2015 when One Direction's official YouTube page uploaded a video of the band detailing the project.[2]
Fans were encouraged to upload videos of themselves to One Direction's official website, addressing the world issues they would like resolved.[3] Since the campaign began, over 66,000 entries have been submitted to the webpage. The entries will be used to make a film made from all the submissions, documenting the wishes of young people worldwide.
An official press release for the campaign states: "One Direction has teamed up with Action 2015 to help bring about global change and make a difference in tackling some of the world's most pressing issues. Would you like to see a world without poverty? Or see more efforts to tackle climate change? Whatever your vision, the guys want to know. Over the next few months, the band will be leading the initiative to get our voices heard on a global scale."
The band members also uploaded videos of themselves discussing what social issues they want to draw attention to. On July 14, 2015, Louis's video was uploaded and he addressed the issue of sick children receving adequate medical care.[4] On July 20, 2015, Liam and Niall's video was uploaded and addressed the issue of world poverty[5]. On July 27, 2015, Harry's video was uploaded and he addressed the issue of children receiving adequate education.[6]
A fan-based project page was launched on Tumblr and Twitter.
On August 31, 2015, One Direction uploaded the finalized Action1d film consisting of fan videos from all over the world. The video began with a message from the band addressing the leaders of the world:
One Direction - ‘Dear World Leaders’-0
"We asked our amazing fans what sort of world they wanted to live in in the future and they responded in their thousands. They were thoughtful, creative, and above all, very passionate. We think you should hear what they have to say about the future of their world."
Reaction[]
The campaign garnered universal media coverage, with all major news outlets reporting the new venture, and various activist figures and groups tweeting their approval. Most significantly, 2016 Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for the campaign[7], as did youth activist/Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai[8]. The Global Goals for Sustainable Development promises were signed at the Global Summit in response to the many campaigns lodged, including Action1D's "Dear World Leaders" video. It also partially inspired Save The Children's Every Last Child campaign.
References[]