.: Paint It Purple :.

The annual “Paint It Purple” campaign raises awareness about Violence Against Women (VAW) by getting a global audience to “paint” the internet purple during the campaign using social media. The campaign also raises funds for The Pixel Project, our partners and participating VAW nonprofits worldwide through cupcake bake sales and “Paint It Purple” parties. “Paint It Purple” was initially created by The Pixel Project to honour Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

However, starting from 2011, as part of The Pixel Project’s commitment to stopping all forms of VAW, the campaign will run from 8 October to 24 November which is the eve of the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign. “Paint It Purple” is open to all VAW nonprofits, grassroots groups, bakeries and individuals supporting the cause to end violence against women.

Ten Reasons Why I Am Taking Part In the "Paint It Purple" campaign (and why you should too!)

Reason 1: It is a Cause that Impacts YOUR Life. Violence against women is not an isolated problem that only impacts the victim – it has consequences that affect the victim’s family and community ranging from health problems that affect a woman’s ability to be a mother, to millions of dollars and lost work hours faced by employers with staff facing violence. With 1 in 3 women across the world experiencing some form of gender-based violence in their lives, chances are, you already know somebody who faces domestic violence, was raped or sexually assaulted or even forced into marriage.

Reason 2: A Fun Ice-breaker for the Silence. Violence against women is a difficult issue that many people shy away from. Having a campaign with enjoyable activities can help break the silence and that is exactly what ”Paint It Purple” is all about – an ice-breaker campaign that engages the general public with lots of fun-filled activities from putting on purple parties to baking purple cupcakes to painting the internet purple with specially designed badges. (I'm going to decorate a purple cupcake this Sat, how purrrfect!)

Reason 3: Raise Funds on a Sugar High. Everybody loves a cupcake (Amen!) and having a cupcake bake sale or a cupcake party is the perfect way to raise funds. Your friends, family, co-workers and classmates will happily chow down on delicious cupcakes while handing over money for these delicious treats! (Oh I do hope so!)

Reason 4: Every Single Action Counts! (Because you can really make a difference!) Whether you pull out all the stops to host a “Paint It Purple” party, record a YouTube video in your best purple shirt or donate your Facebook profile picture to feature the “Paint It Purple” badge for a week, we’ll count you in… and your action will go towards Say NO – UNiTE Against Violence Against Women‘s action ticker too!

Reason 5: It’s Easy To Get On Board. We work hard to make it easy for anybody to get on board the cause. From auto-counting downloaded “Paint It Purple” virtual goodies to ensuring that registration forms for parties are short and sweet, we know that taking part should be simple and to-the-point. (Coz it's just so easy, there is just no excuse not to join!)

Reason 6: There’s Something For Everyone. Whether you love parties, are a baking guru, a time-starved professional, a YouTube fan or a social media whiz, chances are, “Paint It Purple”‘s got something that would suit you to a tee. That’s the beauty of this campaign – that you have a variety of ways to participate instead of just one!

Reason 7: It’s Family Friendly. With cupcakes as the star of the menu, “Paint It Purple” parties are really family-friendly as most of them are held either as brunch or tea-time events. Last year our Kuala Lumpur party had ice-the-cupcake sessions for kids and the Cardiff event had local musicians entertain the guests. This year, with our brand new “Paint It Purple” cupcake recipe gallery kicking off, you could even bake your cupcakes together with your kids, family and friends for a yummy, low-key get-together! (Hooray!)

Reason 8: Flexibility Rocks! The “Paint It Purple” campaign is designed to provide a great framework for you to get started with activism raise awareness and funds for the cause to end violence against women. We give you a few ground rules and basic support on the back-end and with online publicity. The rest is up to you. For example: You can make your “Paint It Purple” party as elaborate or as simple as you wish. You can write a short blog post or a long one. If you don’t feel like contributing a recipe, you can help us paint the internet purple instead. (there is just so0o0o many ways to contribute!)

Reason 9: Join a growing Global Community. When you join “Paint It Purple”, you’re joining a growing global community speaking out to end violence against women. Whether it’s our global chorus of voices on our Wall of Support or our “Paint It Purple” cupcake recipe gallery or our “Paint It Purple” Blog Carnival, every person who participates in the campaign is part of the greater movement to end violence against women.

Reason 10: It’s Time-Friendly. For those who are super-busy, (like myself) “Paint It Purple” offers options for action that only take a couple of minutes. Whether it’s helping us paint the internet purple or recording a YouTube PSA for us or just buying a “Paint It Purple” cupcake from your local participating bakery/cupcakery, many “Paint It Purple” activities take between 2 to 10 minutes tops.

I will be attending a "Paint It Purple" charity cupcake party on 15th Oct 2011 (this Sat) at The Academy Of Pastry Art, PJ. If you are interested for tickets, contact Ann Nunis (03-79575636) (ann.wao@gmail.com)