So what is e-campaigning?

Nepal Campaign to Ban Landmines

The Internet has taken the world by storm over the past decade, and as the world has adapted to the online universe so has campaigning on social justice issues! From email-ins to online petitions, it is now possible to take action over the Internet from anywhere in the world!

Internet access is not readily available and affordable worldwide, but is quickly becoming an excellent tool for taking action and getting in touch with other youth. Remember that even when Internet access is available it may be expensive and connections may be slow, so it may take some time to hear back from youth in other countries.

Translation

Language is one of the major barriers preventing youth from communicating. A variety of websites offer free online translation services. Type in text or copy and paste text into a box and choose the language to translate the document into. These services are far from perfect and sometimes much of the meaning is lost during these basic translations, but they do help to communicate and get basic points across. Babelfish and Free Translation are popular online translation services.

Email

It is possible to get a free email account that can be used anywhere in the world. Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail are both popular choices. Simply go to the site and sign up for a free account. Wherever can get online you can go to the company's website and check your email account. Services are available in a variety of languages.

ICBL Mailing Lists

The ICBL maintains a number of Yahoogroups. The groups are email distribution lists that campaigners around the world use to communicate with each other. While they are free to join, some may have membership restrictions. Remember to only send landmines related information to the Yahoogroups. Click here for more information about ICBL mailing lists. To start your own mailing list, go to Yahoogroups.

Youth Against War Yahoogroup

This Yahoogroup is a forum where youth share stories about their projects, information about upcoming events, and anything else they would like to share. To sign up for the Yahoogroup send a blank email to yaw-info-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

ICBL Media

These groups distribute almost daily reports of newspaper articles from around the world related to landmines. To join, send a blank email to:
English Reports: icblmedia-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
French Reports: icblpresse-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Spanish Reports: icblprensa-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

ICBL Action Alert

This list is for people that only want to receive the minimum, most important information from the ICBL. The ICBL periodically sends out action alerts to this mailing list. They usually consist of an issue update and information about actions to take such as letter writing. To join, send a blank email to icblaction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

ICBL Update

Subscribers to the ICBL Update Yahoogroup receive the Landmine Update, a quarterly newsletter that provides information about recent actions and issue update worldwide, calendar of upcoming events and a list of new resources on landmines. Group members also receive Action Alerts. To join, send an email to icblupdate-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Instant Messenging

Instant Messenging (IM) is an excellent way to stay in touch with other youth. Instant Messenger is a program that allows you to over the Internet by typing, using voice. Many IM programs are available to download for free over the Internet. The problem is that you can only communicate with people using the same IM program- so check to see what program your friends are using before signing up!

Yahoo Messenger is an IM program that can be downloaded for free. After downloading the program you will be asked to choose a user ID and password. I. By logging onto a computer with Internet access anywhere in the world and typing in your user ID and password, you can use the program. Other common IM programs are AOL IM, MSN Messenger and ICQ.

Creating Your Own Website

To build your own website you need to learn how to do web design. An easy place for starters is http://www.geocities.com. This site provides basic information about how to make webpages and put them online. More experienced users that don’t want advertising on their site might want to explore Freedom2Surf’s free webspace option http://www.freedom2surf.net/. Many free web resources and tools can be found at http://www.thefreesite.com.

Web design courses are available in some countries and many resources are available on the Internet. Try doing searches under "website design" to find some of the many online sources that can help guide you through the basics of creating a website.

Weblinks

Numerous youth activism sites exist on the web. Many of the sites have places where youth can share their thoughts with other youth and connect through various Internet forums.

E-writing

With the growth of the Internet and email communications it is now possible to email decision makers directly, sign online petitions, fundraise, find information and much more online!

• Email lobby letters to decision makers. Contact information for many world leaders is available online at http://www.baobab.or.jp/~stranger/mypage/address.htm
• Many websites, including the ICBL website, have lobby letters that can be printed and mailed or faxed to decision makers, as well as letters that you can sign online and email directly to world leaders!
• Some websites have online petitions where you can add your voice to a cause.
• Please be wary about using chain e-mail letters as they are known to have little impact on decision makers. For more information about why to use activist tools other than chain emails please visit http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/weekly/aa052798.htm.

Fundraising

Many people are turning to the Internet when looking to donate money to support mine action projects. Some sites allow individuals to make credit card donations online. Others list their mailing address and other information about how to donate money and what projects your funds will support.

An example of online fundraising online is www.clearlandmines.com. Visit the site every day and click on the "clear landmines" icon. Every time you click on the icon organizations and businesses donate money to clear mines! For every click, 63 cm2 of mine-infested terrain will be cleared!

Conferences

Youth leadership and activist conferences are an excellent way to meet youth from around the world and learn from their experiences. The youth you meet may be working on a variety of social justice issues, and this provides the opportunity to learn about other issues and share your knowledge about the landmines issue. This is also a great way to gain leadership and grassroots organizing skills. Contact local youth organizations and other social justice organizations and ask them about upcoming conferences and seminars. Numerous conferences are advertised on the Internet.