An 11-Year-Old Just Saved Her School from Demolition
May 1, 2013
As part of our work with Meu Rio in Brazil, we built a tool called Pressure Cooker that allows activists to create petitions using social media. We never know exactly what people are going to use our tools for, and occasionally a project really warms our hearts.
After learning that her school would be demolished to make way for a World Cup and Olympic development, an 11-year-old named Bia used the tool to start her own petition. The petition grew like gangbusters and led to the creation of our De Guarda platform, which included a website with live, 24/7 camera surveillance of the school.
Supporters were able to constantly monitor the site, text other rapid-response activists if they saw construction vehicles, and mobilize immediate, on-the-ground action in response.
And it worked! With the latest technology and some help from her community, Bia successfully saved her school.
Links from the article:
http://paneladepressao.meurio.org.br/
http://www.meurio.org.br/mobilizations/19