Kindness & Positive Fandom

Fandom Forward wants our community and all others like it to be safe, constructive, and positive spaces. Here’s some of our campaigns:

Positive fandom (2015)

In June 2015, the Fandom Forward launched a campaign called Positive Fandom. The goal of this campaign was to make fandom communities (both online and in real life) a more inclusive and welcoming space for all people.

Fandom Forward staff, in collaboration with volunteers, partners, and members, created a set of Positive Fandom Guidelines which were meant to encourage a conversation about how fandom can be a more safe, constructive, and positive space. These guidelines are clear and concise while still covering the big picture of what a positive fandom community should look like, addressing issues such as kindness, safe spaces, diversity, and self-care.

Fandom Forward members were asked to read and add their signature to these guidelines, indicating that they were committed to making these guidelines a part of their daily fandom lives. We have received over 1,000 signatures. Positive Fandom has also had iterations at multiple conventions, such as GeekyCon, VidCon, and Granger Leadership Academy, with panels and discussions centered around the Positive Fandom Guidelines.

Esther Day (2010)

Esther Earl was a member of the Harry Potter and Nerdfighter communities who died from thyroid cancer at the age of 16 in August of 2010. Earlier that month, on her birthday, John and Hank Green first celebrated Esther Day - a holiday whose theme they had left up to Esther's choosing. After some consideration, Esther chose to make her holiday about love among friends and family. The holiday has been celebrated every year since.

The Esther Day campaign led a discussion on the holiday's themes and encouraged action in the holiday's spirit. It culminated in an Esther Day celebration at LeakyCon - a Harry Potter-based multifandom convention now called GeekyCon - in Orlando.

What Would Dumbledore Do? (2009)

In July of 2009, Fandom Forward launched a campaign aimed to celebrate real life lessons learned through the Harry Potter series. This campaign, dubbed “What Would Dumbledore Do?” [WWDD], made its public premier at LeakyCon shortly before the movie adaption of ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ hit theaters. The strategic timing of this campaign allowed Fandom Forward to capitalize on the emotional installment of the sixth film by honoring the character of Albus Dumbledore.

Fans were invited to share life lessons they learned from Dumbledore online using #Dumbledore, attend the film release wearing a nametag listing and honoring that life lesson, and then apply those lessons to their lives.

WWDD gained national attention after amassing 12,000+ tweets by supporters and friends of Fandom Forward.

Magical Acts of Kindness (2008)

In October 2008, Fandom Forward launched a week-long campaign called Magical Acts of Kindness. From October 1st to 8th, Fandom Forward encourage members to spread the power of love by doing anonymous good deeds for people in their community. Suggested projects included writing an anonymous letter of gratitude for an old teacher or friend, knitting warm scarves and leaving them on the doorstep of a local shelter or baking two dozen cookies and sneaking them into the break-room before work.

Fandom Forward worked with the website, Gives Me Hope, which publishes hopeful stories that are under 350 characters, to publish many of the stories about what Fandom Forward members did throughout the week.