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Campaign initiated during youth rallies in the UK.
The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom recently launched a campaign to engage youth in their habitat of choicethe Internet.
The project, “Going Viral,” was the idea of radio presenter and youth worker Matt White, who said, “’We recognize that a huge part of youth community is being lived out online and The Salvation Army needs to engage with that. We hope that our Going Viral campaign will enable young people to share and spread their stories of hope amongst their own generation and beyond.”
At youth rallies held in England and Scotland, multi-media events combined music, videos, interviews, singing and talks. The young people were encouraged to write, produce and edit their own material about what it is like to be a member of The Salvation Army, which were then posted online on podcasts, blogs, YouTube and MySpace.
“We were encouraged to be infectious,” said Luke Herbert, a participant of the England rally, “and to pass on God’s word, not just keeping it for friends who are already infected with Jesus’ love.”
The ALOVE UK website will also house a series of online reflections designed to help youth engage with the Bible using the online tools and language they employ most. Users can also post their own reflections on passages.
For more details on the viral campaign, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove.
Sources include the ALOVE website and the Salvationist magazine.