Invisible Children doesn’t stop at documenting atrocities or activating youth or protecting civilians or rehabilitating post-conflict communities. We do it all. And we do it through a four-part model that focuses exclusively on the LRA conflict, addressing it in its entirety: immediate needs and long-term effects. One of the four parts of the comprehensive model is Mobilization.
For the past nine years, we have garnered massive groups of people to support and advance international efforts to stop the atrocities of Joseph Kony and the LRA. Through national film tours, concerts & benefit shows, conferences, and lobbying, we have mobilized thousands around the world to raise awareness about the LRA conflict.
National Tour
The national tour brings Invisible Children films and Ugandan speakers to schools, community centers, and places of worship around the country. During each presentation Invisible Children’s “Roadies” talk about the LRA conflict in East and central Africa. They also talk about what the average student can do to help protect civilians, aid the region’s recovery, and bring an end to LRA violence.
By the numbers:
13,809 free screenings
12 different films
55,000 hours spent talking about the LRA conflict
5 million people reached directly
Our Roadies screening KONY 2012, IC’s 11th film
Artist Relations
We firmly believe that music has a necessary role in giving social movements tremendous amounts of momentum, and we harness that through partnering with prominent and rising musicians to introduce new audiences to the LRA conflict. The Artist Relations (nee: Music) Dept participates in multiple national tours each year, hosts benefit concerts, produces exclusive content, and generates creative fundraising. They’ve worked and toured with Mumford & Sons, Thrice, Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, Circa Survive, Delta Spirit, Paramore, and well over a hundred other artists.
By the numbers:
5.4 million online views of artist-related videos
200 artist ambassadors
The synth-pop band White Arrows performs at IC’s 2012 Holiday Benefit Show at the historic Troubadour in Los Angeles to benefit our radio programs in central Africa.
Fourth Estate Summit
In August 2011 Invisible Children hosted its first Fourth Estate Conference in San Diego, California. Based on the ethos that stopping injustice anywhere is the responsibility of humanity everywhere, the conference was designed for IC’s core supporters as a broad, educational conference about global justice. Young people from all over the world came together with experts in the fields of film, business, journalism, economics, and international justice to discuss the millennial generation’s role in global justice and international humanitarian efforts. We are hosting the second-annual Fourth Estate Leadership Summit this August in Los Angeles.
By the numbers:
$820,000 raised for civilian protection by 325 Fourth Estate attendees
10 countries represented at the conference
16 was the average age of conference attendees
The Fourth Estate Conference in 2011 at University of Southern California
Grassroots Advocacy
We believe that political advocacy plays a crucial role in bringing a permanent end to the LRA, so we provide opportunities for young people to engage their political leaders through letter-writing, phone calls, rallies, and in-person lobby meetings. In the past nine years, millions of Americans – and an increasing number of international advocates – have voiced their concerns about LRA atrocities and called on their elected officials to help stop them. We now have an IC political advocacy team called IC|Citizen that educates and empowers activists to engage with their elected official to hold them accountable on fulfilling their counter-LRA strategy.
By the numbers:
926 local lobby meetings facilitated since 2008
253,512 Citizen’s Arrest Warrants for Joseph Kony delivered to the U.S. department of State
3,729,815 signatures on KONY 2012 pledges
1,500 participants took part in 400 lobby meetings during our “How It Ends” event in June 2009
International Events
Power in numbers and strength in community can change culture, policy, and lives. Young people around the world have rallied together to bring attention to the LRA conflict through various large events: Global Night Commute (April 2006, 80,000 attendees, 125 U.S. Cities), Displace Me (April 2007, 68,000 attendees, 15 U.S. Cities), The Rescue (April 2009, 85,000 attendees, 10 countries), “25” and Break the Silence (April 2011, 91,000 people pledged to be silent for 25 hours, 30,000 people fundraised, 18 events across the U.S.), Cover the Night (April 2012, every continent, dozens of countries), and MOVE:DC (November 2012, 12,000 international attendees).
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge during The Rescue event in 2009. The Rescue asked attendees to “abduct themselves for the abducted” until they were publicly rescued by a media mogul. Rescuers included Oprah Winfrey, Kristen Bell, Sen. James Inhofe and Rep. John Lewis.
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