WordPress For Good: The Gift of Education

On Monday, May 14th digital pioneers, industry experts, and technological innovators gathered together for the 22nd annual Webby Awards. Winning a Webby represents the highest form of recognition on the internet; winners are selected because they have provided the best overall experience in the following areas: websites, film & video, advertising, media, PR, podcasts and more.

This year, WP Engine partnered with The Webby Awards to bring Webby For Good, a project highlighting digital experiences bringing positive change to the world. From Wall Street’s Fearless Girl to an enticing site dedicated to saving koalas, these winners are using the internet to spread awareness and initiate change. In this series, we highlight Webby For Good winners built on WordPress. For many nonprofits, organizations and individuals WordPress’ affordability, flexibility, and scalability provide the perfect framework to spread awareness, organize, and maintain a campaign or project.

For many reasons, not all children have access to education. Only half of the Syrian refugee population in Lebanon have access to education due to hindrance by child marriages, child labour, violence, and poverty. In this segment, we highlight, #imagineaschool, an interactive documentary about the obstacles Syrian refugee children face when trying to access education. UNICEF and Vignette Interactive partnered to provide a platform for the story and photos of 19 children struggling to stay go to or stay in school.

The interactive works by engaging visitors via questions about their experience in school and relating their experiences with that of Syrian refugees. Their interactive documentary approach is both unique and enticing. While viewing the documentary on the sleek and simple interface, users consume hundreds of photos, statistics and up to 30 minutes of video. Users typically spend more than 15 minutes on the site but the experience feels seamless and brief.

To increase awareness, UNICEF knew they needed a cutting-edge approach dependent on user engagement. Some of the most popular #ImagineSchool videos have generated close to 70 million views on YouTube and can be found online in 10 different languages. The #ImagineSchool site still retains an impressive 13% bounce rate and the UNICEF social media following grows daily.

To learn more about #ImagineSchool, check out the interactive documentary or follow UNICEF on Instagram or Facebook. Help support the education, protection, and wellness of Syrian children by donating to UNICEF now.

Want to learn more about The Webby Awards and WP Engine partnership? Check out our case study on The Webby Awards.