Note from Beth: Momsrising continues to forge ahead with innovative and effective ways to use social media for engagement and results. Here’s a guest post that shares how they are using Facebook Live.
Facebook Live: A Tool for Parent Mobilization and Engagement in Diverse Communities Guest Post by Jeannina Perez, Senior Campaign Director
MomsRising.Org / MamásConPoder.Org
MomsRising/MamásConPoder is an online and on-the-ground grassroots organization working with over a millions families and communities to increase family economic security, end discrimination against women and mothers and create a nation where both families and our economy can thrive. We’ve successfully done this for over a decade through our unique, powerful parent mobilization strategies – including our ever-evolving innovative use of social media.
This is critical, because according to the Pew Research Center, 75% of parents regularly use social media. As one example, we are increasingly using Facebook Live to provide engaging parent education in multiple languages to diverse audiences, to partner with the media and influencers from communities of color to reach large numbers of diverse parents, and to engage large numbers of parents in our on-the-ground activities who may be unable to attend because of their work and caregiving responsibilities.
The Facebook live filming tool, a free resource provided on your business Facebook page, allows you to do the following with a smart phone, computer, or even an ipad:
● Host easy-to-access public discussions that allow questions to be answered in real time,
● Enables the development of innovative partnerships with media, influencers, and community leaders, and
● Stream events as they happen.
Making Parent Education Fun and Accessible to Diverse Communities
Social media is not an “extra,” but a continuous layer of engagement that is built into MomsRising’s areas of work. As such, Facebook Live is a tool that we have used to share important information with the diverse families in our network, connect families to experts straight from their living room, stream on-the-ground events, open avenues to take action, and provide families with meaningful opportunities to share their experiences.
Example: Dual Language Panel Discussion on Facebook Live in English and Spanish
In April 2017, MomsRising hosted a Facebook Live discussion with the award winning author of Arroz con Pollo and Apple Pie: Raising Bicultural Children, Maritere Rodriguez Bellas, and early childhood mental health specialist, Lina Acosta Sandaal, on the social emotional benefits of supporting bilingualism and home language use. The Facebook Live reached an audience of 29,220 and generated 273 comments and questions. In April 2018, we held the same panel discussion again, but on our new Spanish MamasConPoder page. After only a week, the video has already reached an audience of 3,000 of Spanish speakers who otherwise would not have had access to our English video.
Partnering with Media, Influencers, and Community Leaders in Diverse Communities
In addition to engaging families already in our network, Facebook Live partnerships with media outlets and influencers from communities of color has been an excellent way to expand our reach to diverse communities across the nation. This has been particularly critical in connecting with high-need populations by working with other trusted messengers.
Example: Facebook Live School-to-Prison Pipeline Panel with The Root
On September 8, 2017, we collaborated on a two-part Facebook Live series with The Root called, How America is Failing Our Children and What We Can Do About It. The panel included MomsRising’s Beatriz Beckford, Kassandra Fredrique of Drug Policy Alliance, Dr. Stacey Patton, author of Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won’t Save Black America, Dr. Monique W. Morris, author of PushOut: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, and moderator, asha bandele. The Facebook Live reached an audience of over 53,000 and generated over 600 comments and questions. Since then, we have continued to partner with The Root on topics ranging from education to maternal health.
Making High-Impact On-the-Ground Events Accessible for Busy Parents Who cannot Attend in Person
We know as parents ourselves that with the difficulty of accessing childcare, multiple child pickups, inflexible work hours, and more – it can be incredibly difficult for parents to attend on-the-ground activities. To ensure that families who can’t attend an event still have the opportunity to engage, we promote and live stream these events on Facebook Live.
Example: Tax Bill is a Lump of Coal Press Event on Capitol Hill
On December 6, 2017 moms, dads, and MomsRising’s little elves stormed Capitol Hill to tell lawmakers that the GOP Tax Plan is a giant lump of coal for America’s families and children. We held a press conference with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Nita Lowey Rosa DeLauro Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard and Congresswoman Katherine Clark. The Facebook Live stream of this event reached an audience of over 56,000 and generated over 100 comments.
At MomsRising, we know that the more moms, dads, grandmothers, caregivers, and more who raise their voices the more powerful our movement becomes. Tools like Facebook Live help us break down some of the barriers of engagement and ensure that whether it’s online or in person – the voices of families in our communities are front and center on the issues that impact them the most. What have been your experiences using Facebook Live in your work?
Jeannina Perez, Senior Campaign Director
MomsRising.Org / MamásConPoder.Org
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