Charity Uses Child Height Markings To Spotlight Youth Homelessness

Children’s height marks – usually found on the walls of family homes –  have popped up unexpectedly on city streets in a disruptive street art campaign from Droga5 and Accenture Song.

The installation for charity We Are Mobilise calls attention to Australia’s national homelessness crisis in time for Youth Homelessness Matters Day. Appearing in Sydney and Melbourne, it turns a joyous family tradition into a heartbreaking call to action.

The pro bono campaign, titled “No Place to Grow,” uses hand-drawn growth charts – marked with the average height of Aussie children aged four to twelve – to make a hidden issue visible. Each chart carries a simple message: No child should grow up on the streets.

The creative idea was born out of Droga5 London, led by creatives Ninon Peres and Geoffrey Poulain under Chief Creative Officer Tara Ford, and brought to life through a collaboration between multiple Droga5 and Accenture Song offices (Australia, London, Dublin and New York) and We Are Mobilise. Partnering with artist and photographer Simon Harsent, videographer Nelson Bours, muralist Shaun Devenney and art studio Apparition Media.

A QR code at the bottom of each chart directs passers-by to a We Are Mobilise page where they can donate funds to support children and their families experiencing homelessness across Australia.

The installations are designed to drive awareness of what is typically a hidden issue. Of the 28,948 children – and their parents – currently without a stable home, a small proportion are sleeping on the street. The rest are hidden - living in tents, cars, couch surfing or in out of home care.

The creative idea was born out of Droga5 London, led by creatives Ninon Peres and Geoffrey Poulain under Chief Creative Officer Tara Ford, and brought to life through a collaboration between multiple Droga5 and Accenture Song offices (Australia, London, Dublin and New York) and We Are Mobilise. Partnering with artist and photographer Simon Harsent, videographer Nelson Bours, muralist Shaun Devenney and art studio Apparition Media.

The charts are expected to remain in place across Sydney and Melbourne through 20th April. They are also being amplified with digital out of home placements throughout the cities with media strategy by Accenture Song.  

We Are Mobilise Founder Noah Yang said: -- “We wanted to find a way to make people feel the scale of this crisis, not just read about it. A height chart is something many families know. It belongs on a wall at home. Seeing one on a street will hopefully stop the public in their tracks and make them remember that every child deserves a safe place to call home.”

Droga5 ANZ Creative Director Lennie Galloway said: -- “It's such a beautifully simple idea that will show this issue in a new light. It's been a privilege to help make it happen here in Australia for the creative team. Bringing it to life was a true team effort -- spanning time zones, roles, and markets -- and a testament to what's possible when people across the Droga5 and Accenture Song network rally behind something they believe in."

CAMPAIGN CREDITS:

Client: We Are Mobilise

CEO: Noah Yang

COO: Danielle Schutte

Head of Operations: Jake Hamilton

Videographer & Editor: Nelson Bours

Creative Agency: Droga5, part of Accenture Song; Accenture Song
Concept: Ninon Peres & Geoffrey Poulain, Droga5 London

Copywriter: Ninon Peres & Niamh Aremband, Droga5 London/Dublin

Art Direction: Geoffrey Poulain, Droga5 London

Creative Director: Lennie Galloway, Droga5 ANZ

Creative Director: Annie Egan, Accenture Song

Group Creative Director: Stephen Rogers, Droga5 Dublin

Executive Creative Director: Maria Devereux, Accenture Song

Global Brand Strategy Director, Sustainability: Kate Hironaka, Accenture Song 
Chief Creative Officer: Barbara Humphries & Damon Stapleton, Droga5 ANZ, Tara Ford, Droga5 London, Jen Spiers, Droga5 Dublin, Neil Heymann, Accenture Song and Droga5 Global

Account Lead: Jenny McLarney, Droga5 ANZ

National Head of Production: Romanca Mundrea, Droga5 ANZ

Senior Integrated Producer: Katie Wellbelove, Droga5 ANZ
Senior Producer: Kaija Wall, Droga5 ANZ

Producer: Emma King, Droga5 ANZ 
Designer: Kamron Lyons, Droga5 ANZ

Media: Accenture Song

Media: Nick Thomas, Christopher Colter, Sam Geer & Melissa Fein

Production:

Media Owners: JCDecaux, The Editors, Gorman Fitzroy, St Mary’s House of Welcome

OOH Installation: Apparition Media

Muralist: Shaun Devenney

Photographer: Simon Harsent, Salt Moon Studios