Children leave nearly 400 messages to Spanish President at Put Yourself in My Shoes stunt in Barcelona

Barcelona, 29 March 2011 - Held last week in Barcelona’s most visited shopping mall – Diagonal Mar – the Put Yourself in My Shoes exhibition proved to be a catchy campaigning idea attracting the attention from shoppers and passers-by. Almost 1.000 people were approached and informed about the purpose of the campaign. Volunteers from the three organizations - Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision – partnering in the project with the Global Movement for Children and the Love Comes Foundation in Catalonia, actively encouraged visitors to become involved in one or more child-focused campaigns run in Spain. The main objective of the exhibit is to spark off political activism among citizens to push their leaders to ensure no child is denied his/her rights.

The stunt also had a space for the participation of children themselves; they could make their voices heard by taking part in a workshop and cutting out paper shoes upon which they could write a message to the President of the Government. Boys and girls cut out nearly 400 paper shoes throughout the week. The messages that each shoe carried were the sign of solidarity with their peers in the developing countries where millions of children still don’t enjoy some basic rights such access to clean water and sanitation, education or health care.  

Put Yourself in My Shoes was first launched on the International Children's Day in 2010. The campaign is a part of a larger effort to hold governments to account on the promises made to children ten years ago at the Millennium Summit. Centred around those MDGs directly related to children, namely, ensuring universal primary education and promoting maternal health, the campaign seeks to raise awareness and galvanize public opinion to demand political commitment to child rights. It takes side of the most vulnerable children in society who are the victims of inaction and political ignorance.

Apart from the shoe exhibit, the campaign also has a website where visitors can find those ongoing campaigns on child rights in their country. The  website is the campaign’s focal point and the main source of reference.

The stunt in Barcelona is the first step in the pilot project testing new communications and awareness rising campaign. After Barcelona, Zaragoza is the next stop on the campaign’s map. The exhibition is expected to arrive there in the early days of May. World Vision International will take the leading role in running the campaign in Zaragoza.