Humans of Hope
9 December 2015
This December, The Salvation Army is hitting the streets of Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth to ask Australians what hope means to them at Christmas.
The social movement has been coined Humans of Hope, and sees the Salvos join forces with three emerging Australian photographers to capture emotive black and white images and individual interpretations around the sentiment of hope that will then be showcased online.
Major Paul Hateley explained that Humans of Hope aims to challenge everyday Australian’s thinking and spur consideration of how one interpretation of hope might compare to others within their community.
“This is a completely new approach for The Salvation Army and we’re hoping to create conversation around Australia’s disadvantage in our community with a younger and more digitally savvy audience” Major Hateley said.
“While Christmas is a joyous and hopeful time for most, many vulnerable families and individuals in need can find it very challenging. Together we can make a huge difference to those experiencing hardship by acknowledging their struggle and digging deep this Christmas,” he said.
Melbourne lifestyle and event photographer, Simon Shiff, will join The Salvation Army and take to the streets of Windsor on Monday December 14th. Here, he’ll capture his series of images, and personal messages of hope, before showcasing them online.
Best known for his lifestyle and event work with Broadsheet and The Urban List, Simon is eager to capture the raw portrait shots of Melburnians.
“I’m excited to meet people from all walks of life and portray their message of hope this Christmas. I’m expecting to see a wide variety of hopes and wishes this festive season and I can’t wait to bring these to life through photography,” Simon said.
Humans of Hope is part of The Salvation Army’s broader annual Christmas Appeal which will this year strive to assist more than 300,000 Australians, distribute nearly 500,000 toys to families in need, serve Christmas lunch to over 8,000 people and distribute 100,000 food vouchers and hampers.
KIIS FM’s street team will join Humans of Hope in three locations and will be encouraging listeners to join the movement and stop by for their photo:
Chapel Street, Windsor - Monday December 14th, 2015
Rundle Mall, Adelaide - Tuesday December 15th, 2015
Barrack Street, Perth - Saturday December 19th, 2015
Those unable to get to one of these locations can upload their own black and white portrait to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with their own message and #humansofhope.
More information about Humans of Hope and the 2015 Salvation Army Christmas Appeal can be found at humansofhope.org