WTF Movie Challenge
Curious about the WTF Movie Challenge? Dive in here and learn how it works, why it's impactful, and how you can participate.
The WTF 3 Minute Movie Challenge is our most powerful street outreach tool yet, and we truly believe that all activists should be prioritizing this event format, as it is the best current technology for creating impactful conversations in street advocacy.
It’s a unique outreach event that uses delicious sweet treats as a springboard for a powerful conversation about animal rights.
We've empowered hundreds of WTF teams worldwide to run our impactful Movie Challenge events. Unlike traditional outreach, the WTF Movie Challenge offers a captivating and impactful experience with a delicious twist!
The "how"Movie challenge explained
We offer members of the public a sweet treat (such as a delicious cookie, cupcake, or donut) in exchange for watching a powerful 3-5 minute video. This isn't your average movie though - it's a carefully curated compilation showcasing the realities of factory farming. Participants watch the video uninterrupted, with headphones or in a designated viewing stall, allowing them to fully absorb the content.
Afterward, our dedicated volunteers are there to chat. These "outreach conversations" explore participants' thoughts and feelings about what they saw. The goal is to foster open dialogue and provide valuable vegan resources to anyone interested in learning more about adopting a compassionate lifestyle.
THE "WHY"Why it works
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Consensual
Participants engage in the challenge by choice, leading to a more positive interaction and a deeper connection with the experience and message.
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Immersive
The challenge offers a multi-sensory experience, combining audio and visual elements to engage the audience and create a lasting, impactful impression.
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Emotive
The movie evokes deep feelings and connections that heighten empathy, encouraging viewers to form stronger emotional bonds with the content.
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Responsive
The profound emotional experience leads the participants to be more responsive to our message, increasing the overall effectiveness of our outreach efforts.
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Productive
Centred on shared goals, these interactions foster more productive conversations between participants and advocates, enhancing understanding and collaboration.
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Sustainable
Less exposure to graphic content, and better conversations prevents activist burnout, promoting a healthier, more sustainable approach to advocacy and engagement.
BEYOND THE CHALLENGETracking your impact
For those curious about veganism, our activists will offer them a personal code granting access to a treasure trove of resources on our website, 3movies.wtf. This lets them explore top-notch vegan documentaries, challenges, apps and more! Through a handy MyStats dashboard, our activists can track the impact they've made - the number of people inspired to visit the site, watch documentaries, and take the next step towards a vegan future. Talk about making a difference!
Ready to make a difference?
Be part of our movement and be a voice for farmed animals. Find a team near you, or apply to be an organizer and start your own!
I'm simply blown away at how POWERFUL the Inspiring Behaviour Change method paired with the 3 Minute Movie Challenge is.
Before, when doing TV screen outreach formations, I might have had zero to one decent conversations. With the challenge, I'm surrounded by outreachers having impactful conversations that often last 10-20 minutes. I expected the public to be mad at me for showing this footage and instead I've been thanked, hugged and have shaken many hands - with lots of non vegans thanking us for speaking up for the animals, for showing this footage and for helping to awaken others.
Michelle
WTF: Calgary, Canada
Movie challenge FAQs
Still have questions? No worries! Just send us a message and one of our team members will respond as quickly as possible.
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You can find a WTF team near you on our ‘Get Involved’ page. If there isn't a team in your area, you can also apply to be an organizer and start your own!
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It's totally possible to do the movie challenge solo, by heading to a busy area armed with a sign and some vegan food prizes, and a tablet, laptop, or phone pre-loaded with the movie footage. For the best experience, we've found that a professional looking setup with viewing stations and branded signs attracts more people to take the challenge.
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Not at all, everything you need to know will be explained to you at the pre-event briefing, so make sure to arrive nice and early and make the organizer aware that you are new. As a newbie, it's totally fine to shadow a more experienced team member or to take a non-verbal role!
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It could be anything - vegan of course! But typically it will be a sweet treat such as a cupcake, cookie, or donut. The important thing is that it should be a positive experience for people which demonstrates how delicious plant-based vegan food can be.
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Not at all, you are welcome to run events on your own or with another group, and we will cheer you on! That said, we are really proud of the support that we offer to people who volunteer with We The Free. By forming a team, you join our kick-ass global community AND you will be eligible for induction, training, mentorship, and financial support through the WTF Equipment Grants.
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If you agree with us that the WTF Movie Challenge is highly effective, but you aren't able to take part yourself, there are other ways to support us, such as making a donation.
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Fear not! There are plenty of non-verbal roles available such as re-setting the viewing station for the next participant, holding signs, and more. Even just being there with the team is fantastic as we are stronger in numbers.
If you are feeling nervous about getting involved, we recommend attending the next event and asking the organizer if you can take on a non-verbal role or shadow a more experienced activist.
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WTF teams get lots of autonomy, and some different speciality roles might exist in some teams, but here are the most common:
Organizer - The volunteer(s) inducted by WTF to plan and lead events. As well as participating in the event, they will keep things running smoothly, direct other volunteers, and might have to liaise with the police or city officials depending on location and regional event requirements. They will also run a briefing at the start and a debrief at the end of events.
Promoter - The promoter's job is to get people to take the challenge, usually with signs, verbally inviting people to take the challenge, or maybe leveraging the prizes as incentives to garner attention.
Outreacher - These are the people waiting to have conversations with participants after they finish the Movie Challenge. Outreachers must be vegan, and must not advocate for anything less than this. Outreachers are typically the most experienced and confident at speaking to people about veganism, but less experienced people who want to gain experience should always be given a chance.
Usher - The usher is responsible for guiding people from the queue or entry point to the viewing station, and setting up the equipment to be ready for them. They might need to explain to the participant how to start the challenge, or they might start it for them depending on equipment setups. They will need to explain to the participant that if they cannot finish the challenge, they are allowed to leave whenever they want.
Interviewer / Content Creator - Some teams have a designated interviewer or content creator with recording equipment and a mic, who will be interviewing participants or activists to get content for social media. Please note - this is not about ego or celebrity worship. High quality content is vital for reaching a larger audience with our important message, and content creators or interviewers should be supported by the rest of the team.
Photographer / Videographer - We recommend that every team should have at least one volunteer who is responsible for taking as many high quality photos or videos as possible each event. If this is you, please do let us know if you are happy for us to use your photos and videos, by emailing hello@activism.wtf
Queue Master - For teams that are larger or in busy areas, a queue master is often used to engage with members of the public who are queueing to take the challenge. They should speak to people in a way that entices them to take the challenge, without giving away what the footage is. It's normal for people to ask, and you can just say "we don't want to give away what the footage is, that's the point! But you will be free to leave at any point if you don't want to watch it". Don't worry, once seated, most people watch the footage.
It's important to note that activists can switch between roles throughout events, and you should be willing to take whatever role is required by the organizer to help the event run smoothly. If you love outreach but there's a shortage of promoters for instance, you should be willing to act as a promoter until the organizer asks for a swap.
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Lots of people want to represent veganism with clothing that is adorned with cool vegan slogans; which is a great passive form of activism! However, for the Movie Challenge you should avoid this, as it "gives away" our purpose and can lead to people choosing not to take the challenge. Additionally, you should avoid wearing any animal-derived clothing such as leather, suede, wool, or silk, even if it's old or second hand.
If you want to get your hands on our high quality & ethically produced WTF branded clothing, click here.
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You don't have to bring anything with you, but we do recommend being prepared for adverse weather conditions depending on where are located. Items such as an umbrella, rain jacket, warm clothing, some cruelty-free sunblock, or a bottle of water could come in handy!
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While there are different variants of the video for special events and languages, they are all similar in that they show legal and standard practice footage from high-welfare farms which represents the reality of life for the majority of farmed animals worldwide. The footage is a harrowing watch, but we often find that it leads to honest and productive conversations with those who watch it.
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The truth is, graphic and violent footage can be traumatizing. We would prefer to show non-graphic footage that celebrates the rich inner lives of animals. The problem is that we've tried this and we've found that it's usually less effective. What's happening to animals is a global atrocity, and we have a duty to act, even if some people get upset along the way. That's why we prefer the consensual yet effective approach of the Movie Challenge.
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Yes, this is actually one of the benefits of this type of event. Participants watch the footage at the viewing station and there's no need for you to watch it!
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Start by creating an account at www.mystats.wtf, and registering your unique referral code to 3movies.wtf. If you talk to someone at the Movie Challenge event, simply share your referral code along with the link to 3movies, and check back later on MyStats to see how many people visited the website!
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You can watch the challenge online at 3minutes.wtf.
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For young children under 15, we recommend parental permission. We also have a non-graphic version of the footage available for kids at our Movie Challenge events.
ADVOCACY TRAININGLevel up your advocacy
As a WTF volunteer, you'll have free access to a wealth of training materials, including workshops and training courses, designed to hone your advocacy skills and communication techniques. Visit our Training section to unlock your full potential as an advocate.
