Where: Australia

The challenge:

One in five students reports being bullied online - cyberbullying remains concealed from public view while causing huge distress to victims, and in some cases it leads to tragic outcomes.  

Australian charity Dolly’s Dream was set up by Dolly Everett’s parents through the Alannah & Madeline Foundation to raise awareness about the issue after the young teenager killed herself following relentless bullying. One of the main challenges was that most of the resources developed for youngsters about bullying were written by adults, and failed to connect to a younger audience. 

With an estimated 246 million children and adolescents worldwide experiencing school violence in some form, finding a way of speaking to them that cut through was imperative. 

The execution:

To give an authentic voice to the campaign we worked with 15-year-old filmmaker and director Charlotte McLaverty. Together we created a film that communicated rawly and directly to her teenage peers and encouraged people to speak out. The concept was inspired by a powerful quote from Dolly herself “speak even if your voice shakes” and globally-famous teen pop singer Billie Eilish allowed her song ‘When the party’s over’ to be used for free to soundtrack the film. 

We amplified the launch of the film through traditional mainstream media and social media channels, tapping into ambassadors and influencers to carry it further. Dolly’s Dream also launched a platform of educational assets to coach parents through discussions that might arise from viewing the content. 

The results:

The campaign exceeded expectations, driving mass engagement across online and broadcast channels within a mere 24 hours. It launched with a director appearance by Charlotte on national broadcast program The Project and the campaign’s media coverage culminated in a reach of 270 million. 

The hero video was viewed more than 750,000 times on the Dolly’s Dream social channels without paid amplification and viewed 1 million times via Australian public broadcasting and online network SBS. 

The campaign successfully drove awareness of cyberbullying, educated the population on what to look out for and what to do, and engaged the nation in a conversation about a form of violence going on under the radar. Dolly’s Dream has been overwhelmed by the support driven by the campaign and remains committed to reducing bullying across the nation. 

Check out more inspiring examples of our work on SDG3.