Regina Yau, Founder and President of The Pixel Project, a “complete virtual, volunteer-led global nonprofit organisation whose mission is to raise awareness, funds and volunteer power for the cause to end violence against women” recently wrote that her charity uses “positive images, ideas and strategies to power our campaigns and empower survivors and supporters to take action. From music to photography to cupcakes, our campaigns make people smile while mobilising musicians, photographers and independent businesses to spread awareness in their communities and raise funds for the cause.”

The same article in Guardian Professional that includes Regina’s quote states that, “done right, positive campaigns build goodwill, generate conversation and galvanise the layperson to take action.” The piece provides the example of the It Gets Better Project, founded by American columnist Dan Savage to prevent teenage suicides. The site gained popularity when it “went viral” (spreading rapidly through the population by being frequently shared) with people sending messages of optimism on YouTube to the teenagers. According to the article, there was “no advertising spend, no distressing imagery, no guilt-tripping – just word-of-mouth and a platform anybody can use to participate in the cause.”

That’s the power of the positive. And it’s just one more example of how spreading hope and constructive messages and news can turn into positive campaigns for the greater good.