The sixth annual #MyFreedomDay campaign is coming up on March 16th, 2022. The international campaign is a way to raise global awareness about human trafficking and slavery. The campaign asks that throughout the day, students around the world participate in activities to celebrate freedom and speak up and act out for those who are unable to.
This year, the #MyFreedomDay campaign is encouraging people to take a pledge and share it on social media to help spread the word and raise awareness:
“I promise to take action to help end slavery by:
1. Recognizing and staying vigilant to spot the signs of human trafficking.
2. Understanding online dangers and speaking up if I see a friend who might be making a bad decision.
3. Becoming aware of how goods are made. I will take into consideration a company’s business practices when buying things like clothes, electronics and chocolate, then make my decisions based on how they treat their workers and the environment.”
#MyFreedomDay 2021 was a tremendous success despite the global pandemic that kept many students in virtual classrooms. Incredibly, students and teachers still managed to come up with unique ways to mark this global day of action to raise awareness about human trafficking. According to the CNN Freedom Project, #MyFreedomDay 2021 made nearly two billion impressions on social media and involved students and young people from 140 countries.
Here is a glimpse into what the day looked like: Highlights from #MyFreedomDay 2021
Even though schools in some parts of the world are still grappling with the pandemic, our goal remains the same: to reach as many students and educators as possible. In some countries, students are back in school. In others, we must still look for ways to overcome obstacles to hosting live events on our campuses.
The truth is, criminals will welcome distractions and take even greater advantage when the spotlight is off them, driving their criminal enterprise back into the shadows. With finances, resources, support services, and law enforcement stretched to the limits tackling a generational health crisis – hope will seem further away than ever for many of the victims.
It is more important than ever that we continue to find creative ways to keep this issue in the public consciousness.
To that end, on March 16th, 2022, CNN will be asking individuals and organizations across the globe to participate in this day of action against modern-day slavery. If you’re interested in participating, please fill out this form and share your plans with us: #MyFreedomDay 2022 Participation Form
We will follow up with more details, along with a list of suggestions and ideas that schools can use to fulfill this project. In the meantime, we encourage students to start using social media to spread the word, using the hashtag #MyFreedomDay and making the post public, and start thinking about the question, “What are you doing to help end slavery?”
Thank you for being part of this global campaign. We look forward to seeing the results of everyone’s creativity and passion!
For more information, please contact Veronica McDaniel at [email protected].
Kevin Glass is the Head of School, Atlanta International School.
Mike McCarthy is the Executive Vice President and General Manager, CNN International.
#MyFreedomDay
