Dutch Charity Engages Children in National Competition to Define and Proliferate the Spirit of Non-Violence

SOS-Kinderdorpen, a Dutch charity that specializes in providing guidance and education to orphans worldwide, has announced a national competition to create a new Dutch word for ‘non-violence.’ This word currently does not exist in the Dutch language, so the charity has created a special Web site where children can submit words and photographs which they feel portray the spirit of non-violence*. The campaign is aimed exclusively at Dutch children under the age of 18.

Supported from concept to launch by Pleon Netherlands, the campaign was inspired by an international United Nations study into violence against children, which involved participation from SOS-Kinderdorpen orphans in several countries. Entries will be judged by an expert panel that includes a representative of Van Dale Lexicography, one of the largest publishers of Dutch language dictionaries, as well as Hans Eenhoorn, governing board member of SOS-Kinderdorpen and member of the United Nations Millennium taskforce on Hunger. The campaign will run from 17 November to 15 December, and winners will be announced on 22 December.

Pleon Netherlands has been instrumental in every stage of the campaign’s development and put forth the idea of a nationwide competition for children. The company subsequently worked on the creative design and content for the dedicated Web site and posters. A highly successful media outreach strategy, also orchestrated by Pleon Netherlands, generated press coverage in a wide range of media outlets including daily newspapers, newswires, broadcast, and educational trade publications.

As the goal of the campaign is to create a completely new word, competition rules do not allow for the use of an existing word already associated with non-violence. For example, the Dutch word for ‘peace’ – ‘vrede’ – could not be entered. Likewise, the rules also state that the word cannot have the same construction as the English word ‘non- violence.’ Therefore, words containing the Dutch word for ‘violence’ – ‘geweld’ – such as ‘antigeweld,’ would not be suitable.

“We are delighted to be involved in such a significant campaign,” said Tim de Boer, CEO, Pleon Netherlands. “Violence is something that we cannot ignore. By engaging young children all over our country in finding a way to express non-violence, we can help nurture a peaceful, healthy environment for our youth to grow and flourish.”

* The SOS-Kinderdorpen site for this campaign can be found at:

http://www.soskinderdorpen.nl/tegenover/index.htm

 

 

For more information, please contact:

Michelle Knight
Pleon bv
michelle.knight(at)pleon.com
+31 (0)20 487 40 00