Eurobest
VOLONTAIRE, Stockholm / HJÄRNFONDEN - SWEDISH BRAIN FOUNDATION / 2016
Overview
Entries
Credits
Description
Stroke is the leading cause of physical disability among adults and the third most common cause of death. Every 17 minutes someone in Sweden suffers from a stroke and is forced to learn basic things again. Like walking, talking – and writing. But awareness of stroke and the importance of crucial rehabilitation was terribly low. In addition, access to rehab was unequal throughout the country.
So how do you increase national awareness of stroke while calling for better rehabilitation, regardless of where you live? We gave people the opportunity to experience the aftereffects of a stroke by writing their signature - with their “opposite” hand.
On International Stroke Day we launched felhand.se – a nationwide petition demanding better stroke rehab and raising awareness about the challenges people face after a stroke. By presenting five concrete demands on how to improve the current situation and put pressure on the Government to take action.
Over 215 000 (goal 50 000) Swedes signed our online petition for better stroke rehabilitation and spread it in social media. The interest in the Swedish Brain Foundation increased by 89% (goal 20 %) and the campaign created a national media debate about stroke treatment worth over $ 142 910. But most importantly, a complicated disease became very easy to relate to.
As an effect the Swedish Minister for Health Gabriel Wikström met with representatives from the Swedish Brain Foundation to accept the printed signatures (weighing over 14 kilos) from the campaign stating the importance of the issue and tweeting about it. Local politicians from counties all over Sweden accepted local signatures and acted on them by raising the question locally and sending response letters signed with their opposite hand.
The initiative made it all the way to the parliament as the major opposition party in the Swedish Government raised the question and cited the Swedish Brain Foundation demanding action.
The ROI on the invested budget amounts to over 2 400 per cent as people continue to stand up for a more equal right to better stroke rehabilitation.