THE PROJECT
The Blue Roots Project is a transmedia experience and design challenge that prompts people throughout the world to share stories about the value of water and its role in their lives and communities. For two years, my project team and I at the Center for Emerging Media Design and Development collaborated with Circle of Blue and Project WET Foundation to develop the Blue Roots Project.
THE EVENT
In February 2017, we named our design challenge #MyWaterStory, which was employed as a social media awareness campaign for the Vatican’s Watershed Conference hosted on March 21-23, 2017. The Conference was streamed on Facebook Live, generating over 5,800 views. My team and I produced websites for the Blue Roots Project and the Vatican’s Watershed Conference, and traveled to Rome, Italy to assist Circle of Blue with the Watershed Conference media production.
The #MyWaterStory campaign generated over 350 stories between February and April 2017 from participants in places like the United States, Lithuania and Uganda.
THE PROCESS
The Blue Roots Project team used a design thinking framework that focuses on the needs and experiences of people to solve real-world problems. This iterative approach places users at the heart of the design process and goes through phases of research, ideation, testing and production.
MY ROLE
As the Communication Strategist for the Blue Roots Project, I engaged our audience through various social media platforms; developed relationships with key stakeholders, including NGOs, leaders in the environmental sector and artists; and helped create and edit content for our digital platforms. This learning experience allowed me to master skills in transmedia storytelling, design thinking, strategic communication, content strategy, and social media management.
