International Epilepsy Day is celebrated on the second Monday in February to increase awareness about epilepsy. This year, it fell on February 8, but the most significant celebration happened during the month leading up to it.
50 Million Steps for Epilepsy is an initiative that seeks to walk one step for every person with epilepsy in the world. From January 4 to February 8, supporters of the cause can submit their steps and their social proof to an interactive map.
Since this event is celebrated worldwide, the organisers embedded an interactive map displaying social media content from supporters.
International Epilepsy Day is a joint initiative created by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). This event raises not only awareness but also vital funds for epilepsy organisations across the world.
No matter the activity or location, every step calls attention to the cause. To motivate the attendants, the organising committee offers a prize to the best in each category. The categories are Silliest steps, Best dance steps, Cutest pet steps, Best baby steps.
An interactive map displaying epilepsy advocates
International Epilepsy Day celebrations differ from region to region, with different cultures, locations, and weather. Yet the common denominator prevails: to highlight epilepsy and bring attention to the need for better understanding, proper legislation, better treatment services, and expanded research to enrich the lives of all those affected by epilepsy.
Given the event’s global nature, they created an interactive map displaying supporter’s social media posts tagged with the hashtag #50MillionSteps. The map shows where each post was published, the photo or video and a description. The map promotes interaction between advocates of the cause, creating a sense of global community.
International celebrations become more connected when social media posts are displayed on an interactive world map. From one corner of the world, you can find out about what’s happening on the other side. Attendees can learn about a seminar on epilepsy in Colombia, and watch a YouTube video compiling a 50 Million Step journey from India.
The key to encouraging a global exchange is to ask attendees to show their support on social media by using your hashtag, just like 50 Million Steps for Epilepsy did with #50MillionSteps. Global interaction has never been more straightforward.
To learn more about the different design options and settings for your interactive map, take a look at this map theme guide.
The 50 Million Steps event teaches us one important lesson: the power of social media is tremendous. When done right, social media content helps start conversations about relevant topics, in this case, epilepsy. 50 million people in the world live with epilepsy, but did you know that before reading this initiative? I didn’t.