The organisations borderfree association and The Voice of Thousands wanted to remove the stigma from that symbol. To do this, we listened to the refugees’ stories about how they used to live and depicted their memories on a very special canvas.

Their stories were painted onto life jackets, the items that changed everything.

Those life jackets were exhibited – each one together with the story of its respective owner.

The discussions about the refugee crisis reached its peak in October 2016. Therefore, an idea was needed, that quickly involved the public and politics at the same time. The idea was then launched at an exhibition in Bern, where politicians from all parties were gathered. Also journalists attented the events. A film documentation was used to make this idea sharable, and it spread through the web fast. Free media space was also used for the project. On- and offline media guaranteed a great impact of the campaign.

The documentary about the project generated PR buzz around the world.

More than 2300 articles were published in major media outlets.

The documentary was viewed over 23 million times.

More than 10.3 million people accessed the platform.

More than 20 NGOs benefitted from the campaign, receiving approximately EUR

12 million in donations, which were then used to help integrate the refugees and ensure their safety.

Politicians started a new discussion.

The project achieved its goal: it made people rethink their views.