the 12 days of elfie – domestic abuse campaign.

BEHIND THE SCENES & PLANNING

The 12 Days of Elfie – Domestic Abuse Christmas Campaign

The spark of an idea behind GASPED’S The 12 Days of Elfie Christmas Campaign.

“I started working at GASPED one month ago and was really excited to be given the opportunity to be contribute their social media campaign. I attended a marketing meeting with the team to share ideas for a Domestic Abuse awareness campaign and honestly I didn’t have a clue. But the question stuck in my mind and then… A spark!

 

I have been listening to lots of Christmas songs lately, not by choice (I know I’m a scrooge) but you know you can’t avoid them. Slade in the supermarket, someone humming Jingle Bells on the bus and Driving Home for Christmas on the radio. Anyway, I ended up thinking about the fact that it’s meant to be the Season of goodwill to all men – and then I was thinking about how that sharply contrasted the fact that 1 in 6 men in the UK experience domestic abuse.

 

Lots of homes this Christmas will have an Elf in them. A magic little creature that gets up to mischief when the children are asleep. Anyway, I was thinking about that statistically there must be a house in which abuse takes place where there is an Elf on the Shelf who is a witness to this.

 

My idea was the domestic abuse can be invisible to people outside but that Elfie in the home is documenting and highlighting this in different ways. The 12 Days of Elfie aims to focus on different ways in which domestic abuse can impact on a victim’s life and also the lives of the other people in the home. This concept of what the Elfie sees couple up with the tag line / slightly rhetorical question as to whether it’s really the season of goodwill to all men? This felt quite striking as a way to raise awareness of Male Victims of Domestic Abuse.

 

I told Sarah about this idea and then she set up a meeting for us to share ideas and get them down on paper to see how we could bring the ideas to life.

 

We were very clear that we did not want to trivialise domestic abuse but wanted to draw awareness in a different and more thought provoking way. Which is way there is a clear focus on Christmas and high contrast between the black background and the Christmas lights.”

K

Jen, Support Worker.

Domestic Abuse Statistic

66% surge in calls to the national domestic violence helpline in 2020.

Bringing the Campaign to Life

“After the meeting, Jen brought the idea to me and I instantly knew we needed to create this vision.

 

I set up a meeting for the next day where we mind mapped ideas, quotes and rough drawings. Myself and Jen were able to quickly build the vision as everytime one of us spoke, the other had an idea spark through what was said. Within a week we managed to create The 12 Days of Elfie. I spent one day working from home, creating test shots and images for the campaign. I found it really beneficial to have the creative space to plan the images. We wanted to be able to represent being a witness and victim of domestic abuse well and prove a point that it is often hidden, and you would never know it was happening. On top of that, Christmas is a very difficult time for many and a lot of people that suffer Domestic Abuse, so we wanted to also capture that side of it; that not every home is a happy home and not everyone’s Christmas will be merry.

 

I have enjoyed bringing this idea to life as it has already sparked conversation between others and started conversations. The idea of some of the images seeming to be light, and Elfie smiling through it all, shows that there is a facade going on.

 

After creating imagery for the campaign, we consulted the team to see everyone’s thoughts and feelings so that everyone could have a say; nothing works without a team!”

 

K

Sarah, Marketing Manager.

If you would like to take part in one ouf our future campaigns, please email us by clicking the button below.

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The work we do is vital, and as a charity our services are free to the most vulnerable people who need support.

You can help by supporting our campaign on social media or donate.

By sparing a round £40 then you will have covered a counselling session for a victim of domestic abuse or sexual violence.

Please support our vital work by donating here:

The Aims of the Campaign

  • Increase awareness that Men can be victims of domestic abuse.
  • The share statistics around rates of domestic abuse against men.
  • To illustrate that domestic abuse affects everyone in the household and all aspects of daily life for a person or the family of a person experiencing abuse.
  • To show that the signs of domestic abuse can be hard to spot from outside.
  • To share resources and link people experiencing abuse to local and national support agencies.

Urgent Help

Here for You, Wakefield

Crisis Support open every day, 6pm-midnight – 07776 962 815

Samaritans

Helpline available 24/7 – 116 123

Our Services

Male Victims of Domestic Abuse

We offer 1-2-1 Practical & Emotional Support and Counselling to anyone who identifies as Male, 18+ living in the Wakefield District that has been affected by Domestic Abuse.

Male Victims of Sexual Abuse

We offer 1-2-1 Practical & Emotional Support and Counselling to anyone who identifies as Male, 18+ living in West Yorkshire that has been affected by Sexual Abuse.

MAN MATTERS

1-2-1 Practical & Emotional Support, Counselling, Coffee Groups and Workshops for all who identify as Male, 18+ and living in the Wakefield District.

Other Support for Domestic Abuse

Wakefield Domestic Abuse Service

A trained member of staff will talk to you, as much as you feel comfortable, about your current situation – 0800 915 1561

Victim Support

Free helpline available 24/7 – 0808 168 9111 

Hub of Hope

Find support in your area.

% increase in police reports on domestic abuse incidents in 2020.

domestic abuse incidents nationwide reported in 2020

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Do not struggle in silence.

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