News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The Small Acts, Big Impact awareness campaign, which challenged New Brunswickers to perform meaningful acts of volunteerism to help overcome poverty in the province, reached thousands of people through social media in October.

Organized by the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation, the campaign encouraged individuals from all walks of life to carry out simple acts in the fields of literacy, food security and transportation.

“I congratulate and thank the people of New Brunswick for performing their small acts as part of the Small Act, Big Impact campaign,” said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister John Ames, who is also the minister responsible for poverty reduction and the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation. “I am happy to see that New Brunswickers share my belief that we can make our province, Canada and the world a better place, one small act at a time.”

The goal was to inspire individuals to join the movement of overcoming poverty while learning more about the challenges their fellow citizens are facing. Participants were invited to take photos of their acts, share them on social media and challenge friends, families and social networks to do the same.

During the month-long campaign:

• The campaign's Facebook page reached more than 300,000 people in New Brunswick, and more than 1.9 million people worldwide on October 17 which was the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

• The Facebook page received 11,727 likes.

• More than 150 photos of small acts were shared through social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and posted on the smallacts.ca website.

• More than 170,000 people viewed the campaign’s video on various platforms.

Literacy rates, access to healthy food, and barriers to transportation are just a few challenges facing those in poverty in the province. Because of the scope of these issues, many New Brunswickers feel that they cannot make a significant difference.

Other highlights of the campaign include:

• The New Brunswick public libraries shared their love of books and literacy with their communities.

• Schools promoted eating healthy, buying local and drinking water from the fountains again.

• The New Brunswick Community College and the college’s Robertson Institute for Community Leadership performed small acts as part of their #TransformNB day.

While the campaign ended Oct. 31, individuals may still contribute and register their small acts by visiting the campaign’s website and the Facebook page.

The Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation is a Crown corporation that co-ordinates and supports the implementation of the Overcoming Poverty Together: The New Brunswick Economic and Social Inclusion Plan. The corporation’s board of directors is made up of members representing persons who experienced or are living in poverty, non-profit organizations, the business sector and the government.