IOM’s 2015 Social Media Campaign
#MigrantHeroes
Guidelines for staff and field missions
2014 – ongoing
Migrants Contribute
Campaign
2015
#MigrantHeroes
Campaign
Migrant’s Path Oral
History Project
2016
th
IOM’s 65
anniversary
Process
Around the world, there’s an increasingly negative perception of migrants and their
contributions to society. IOM seeks to change the lens through which people view
migrants and migration. We want you (and your friends and family) to help us identify
and tell the stories of Migrant Heroes from every country in the world.
IOM’s perception change campaign, #MigrantHeroes, aims to highlight the many ways
in which migrants contribute – whether to their countries of origin or host
communities. This campaign builds upon and reinforces our popular ‘Migrants
Contribute’ Campaign, by countering misinformation and presenting evidence of the
positive impact migrants make.
Through the campaign, we want to encourage people to share the migrants’ personal
stories, their testimonies, and what makes them a “Hero”. We are not looking for
celebrities or football stars making a name for themselves abroad. We want examples
of people, famous or otherwise who are making a significant contribution to society at
large.
The #MigrantHeroes campaign is the starting point of a wider-scale project entitled the “Migrant’s Path
Oral History Project”. Culminating (but not ending) with IOM’s 65th anniversary in December 2016, it will
capture the authentic voices of global migration for posterity and to showcase them as part of IOM’s
anniversary.
Through this project, IOM will record, preserve and share the stories of migrants with the world in a
unique, timeless cultural archive. The recordings will be deposited in the archives of both the United
Nations and IOM.
So starting now, we ask you to identify people who are willing to become public or who are already
public figures and who have the capacity to advocate for migrants. Selected “Migrant Heroes” may
become IOM Goodwill Ambassadors carrying a message of need to create positive environments for
migrants, protect them and also ensure their place and contributions to our societies are recognized.
Join us in telling their stories to the world through our #MigrantHeroes campaign!
Process
1. Nominate a contact person in your office who will be coordinating the campaign and liaising with
IOM HQ (it should ideally be the Media Focal Point)
2. Start brainstorming within your office on people originating from your country or who migrated to
your country and who would ‘qualify’ as “Migrant Heroes” (see attached FAQ’s)
3. Make a list of potential multipliers that could help you promoting the campaign in your country
(academics, schools, journalists, art centers, etc.)
4. Promote the campaign via your websites/newsletters/social media. Inform the general public that
they can also submit Migrant Hero’s stories of someone they know, via the nomination form to be
completed on the IOM #MigrantHeroes campaign website.
5. Liaise with donors and national counterparts/partners to present the new campaign and ask them to
support the campaign via their own websites/social media tools, ask them to help you identify
“Migrant Heroes” by submitting compelling stories fitting with the criteria described in the FAQs
6. Nominate your best “Migrant Hero Story of the Month” and share it with MCD ([email protected]), via
the nomination form.
7. MCD will upload the nominated Migrant Heroes from your country on www.iom.int
8. Share other relevant stories received by your mission via your mission’s social media accounts
(Facebook&Twitter), website and newsletter.
9. Vote&invite the general public in your country to vote for the 3 best stories amongst the 10
nominated ones by IOM HQ via IOM Global Facebook #MigrantHeroes, from 1 to 10 November.
Tools
Please use the following tools extensively throughout the campaign:
1. #MigrantHeroes campaign website: it already features some key famous migrants’ stories (Jasmine
Lee, Cécile Kyenge…). You are kindly invited to send MCD additional content for this website,
sending other stories to [email protected]
2. IOM Global Facebook Page #MigrantHeroes and Facebook Conversation #MigrantHeroes. You are
kindly invited to share IOM Global Facebook #MigrantHeroes posts via your own mission’s account
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
and create your own posts featuring key stories of your country. Ask your national partners to get
engaged in the Facebook Conversation.
IOM Global Twitter account. You are kindly invited to share IOM Tweets via your own mission’s
account and create your own tweets featuring key stories of your country
Field Mission’s social media
Field Mission’s website: please regularly update your website with featured #MigrantHeroes stories
Field Mission’s newsletter: make use of your national newsletter or partners’ newsletters to inform
and give updates on the campaign
Campaign advertisement (A4 Info Sheet): please share this info sheet widely
Note: The Missions who do not currently have Facebook and/or Twitter accounts are strongly
encouraged to start using these tools. Please contact [email protected] in order to create your account
and to request additional social media guidance.
Events
Make use of migration-related events planned in your country over the campaign duration in order to
promote the campaign, whether these events are organized by IOM or national partners (festivals,
artistic gatherings, sportive events, concerts,... ).
Budget
No particular budget is foreseen to implement this campaign. Should you be willing to implement
particular activities to promote the campaign, you are strongly encouraged to seek for extra funding via
your traditional channels and via an enhanced use of the private sector. A specifically designed donor
info sheet has been prepared for this purpose. IOM offices who wish to develop specific promotional
tools are requested to firstly seek for MCD endorsement, contacting [email protected].