Press Release
UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND AND PREZI LAUNCH #YOUTHAGAINSTCOVID19 VIDEO CAMPAIGN TO INFORM AND EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE
20 May 2020
Educational video series calls on youth leaders to help protect their communities and share informative content through reusable online videos
New York – Prezi, a leading visual communications software company, and UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, have launched a joint COVID-19 awareness campaign to encourage and equip young people to lead the charge against the pandemic. UNFPA and Prezi are teaming up with global youth organisations to encourage young people to take action by staying informed and doing their part to flatten the curve of the infection – and urging their peers to do the same.
The #YouthAgainstCOVID19 video campaign consists of six educational videos containing information about how young people can fight the COVID-19 pandemic anywhere in the world. Produced in multiple languages and in cooperation with various youth organizations, the videos feature young people sharing ideas and guidance on how to better cope with the impacts of the pandemic as well as how COVID-19 might be affecting their sexual, reproductive, and mental health.
“Facts are the antidote to fear in the face of COVID-19, and accurate information can save lives," said Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA. “Equipped with knowledge about what they can do to keep their friends, families and communities safe, young people can be powerful allies in combating this virus. Innovation springs from adversity, and together we are bringing young people tools that can help turn the tide against the pandemic.”
Young people are encouraged to replicate and share the videos using the hashtag #YouthAgainstCOVID19. They are free to adapt the content to their own context and language through the ‘reuse content’ feature in Prezi Video, an interactive platform that allows anyone to create interactive videos in minutes without the need for a design background or editing skills.
“Young people are more accustomed than older generations to connecting remotely with others and using visual tools to make the world a better place,” said Peter Arvai, co-founder and CEO at Prezi. “We are honored to partner with UNFPA to help the world’s youth create videos that help others protect themselves and their households, support their communities and share their ideas easily and effectively.”
Messages shared in the campaign are representative of young people globally, including the most vulnerable and marginalized. They are being tailored to fit local and personal contexts, and are currently available in 5 languages - with 20 more on the way. Young people can then use Prezi Video templates to record themselves sharing key facts related to COVID-19, which can also be adapted in any other language or local dialect.
For more information, please visit https://prezi.com/landing/youthagainstcovid19/. To view the campaign video, please visit: https://youtu.be/_Y-h2BWoiEk.
About Prezi
Prezi is a global leader in visual communication tools, helping a wide range of people, including business professionals and educators, reach their audiences more powerfully. Prezi's products uniquely let users arrange content on a single canvas, using dynamic movement and spatial context to increase engagement and understanding. Prezi's offerings include: Prezi Next, a zoomable presentation platform; Prezi Video, a video maker that places creators and their graphics together on screen in real time (similar to a news broadcast); and Infogram, the leader in infographics and data visualization. Founded in 2009, Prezi has offices in San Francisco, Budapest, and Riga, Latvia, with a community of 100 million users that has created the world’s largest database of public presentations. Prezi’s investors include Accel Partners, Spectrum Equity and TED conferences. For more information, please visit www.prezi.com.
About UNFPA
UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. We work in developing countries and humanitarian emergencies to make sure women can access family planning, to end preventable maternal deaths and stamp out gender-based violence and harmful practices like female genital mutilation and child marriage. For more information about UNFPA and its work, please visit: www.unfpa.org
Media Contacts:
Jill Fox
Extension PR
949-423-8199
prezi@extensionpr.com
Yasmeen Chaoul
UNFPA
929-353-4708
chaoul@unfpa.org
Brett Smith
Prezi
415-516-2564
brett.smith@prezi.com
