Free Hugs Campaign

The Free Hugs Campaign is a social movement involving individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public places. Founded in Sydney, Australia by Juan Mann in June 2004,^[1] the campaign was widely publicized in 2006 by a music video on YouTube by the Australian band Sick Puppies. The campaign is an example of a random act of kindness, a selfless act performed by a person for the sole reason of making others feel better. Juan Mann has stated in interviews that the purpose is not to get names, phone numbers, or dates.^[1] Although not claimed as such, The Free Hugs Campaign is an incarnation of the story told in a book by Claude Steiner "A Warm Fuzzy Tale". The story itself is an introduction to key concepts of transactional analysis (TA).

History

Initial distrust of Juan Mann's motives eventually gave way to a gradual increase of people willing to be hugged, with other huggers (male and female) helping distribute them. After some time, security guards, then police told them they must stop, as Mann had not obtained public liability insurance worth $25 million for his actions. Mann and his companions used a petition to attempt to convince authorities that his campaign should be allowed to continue without the insurance. His petition reached 10,000 signatures. He submitted it and was allowed to continue giving free hugs.

On October 23, 2007, Juan Mann announced his residential address online and offered an open invitation to anyone to come over and chat on-camera as part of his 'open-house project'. Mann hosted 80 guests over 36 days. On November 25th, 2007, Mann's landlord threatened him with eviction, so he launched an online appeal.^[2] On December 25th, 2007, Juan Mann made his e-book "The Illustrated Guide to Free Hugs" available as a free download.

International Free Hugs Day

On the forum of the Free Hugs campaign website, Juan Mann called for an annual International Free Hugs Day, to be celebrated every year on the first weekend after June 30, 2007; the first such day was July 7, 2007. The purpose of the day is to promote the Free Hugs Campaign. The organizers are hoping that hundreds of people around the world will be distributing free hugs on this day.^{[citation needed]}

Publicity and expansion

A college student, Yu Tzu-wei, began a campaign in Taipei in October 2006 to "hug everyone in Taiwan".^[3]
A mass "free hugs" day was scheduled at Pitt Street Mall for the New South Wales Labour Day (October 1, 2006) following the massive YouTube and media coverage.^[4]
In late October 2006 several Free Hugs Campaigns were organized in a number of cities in Italy.^[5]
On October 27, 2006 students Steve Loftus, Mark Wonnacott and Jeff Jones from Illinois-based McKendree University were featured in news media, including MLB.com, for giving free hugs before game five of the World Series in front of Busch Stadium.^[6]
On October 30, 2006, "Mann" was invited by Oprah Winfrey to appear on her show Oprah after her producer's doctor saw the Free Hugs video on YouTube. Juan Mann made an appearance outside her studio that morning, offering free hugs to the crowd waiting to see the taping of that day's episode. Oprah's camera crews caught several people in the audience hugging Mann as the morning progressed.^[7]
On November 6, 2006 a group of eleven people led by a twenty-four year old man named 'Baigu' tried the same campaign in Shanghai, only to be detained for one hour for not having a permit to hold a gathering in a public place.^[8]
A Free Hugs event on November 10, 2006 in Boulder, Colorado was covered by local media.^[9]
In Belgium the Free Hugs campaign appeared near the end of 2006, with Free Hugs events on December 22 and December 23 in Antwerp and on December 30 in Ghent.^[10]^[11]
On November 18, 2006 Geneva Online, an online community, organized the first Free Hugs event in Geneva, Switzerland.^[12]
The Free Hugs creators were interviewed by WHO.com.^[13]
On November 25, 2006, two friends in Chicago had a Free Hugs outing, and persuaded the police to join in the hugging.^[14]. On December 10, 2006, the same people, Amber Gribben and Nicholas Markos, along with additional friends, had another Free Hugs outing in downtown Chicago. They were found by a Fox News Chicago crew, who featured a report about them.^[15] Proceeds from the sale of downloads of the song ("Gimme All You Got" by bee) used in the first video are being donated to UNICEF.
On December 24, 2006, two Korean boy students in Singapore were featured in the local national newspaper, The Straits Times, for their 'free hugs' campaign started on November 22, outside Ngee Ann City shopping mall along Orchard Road. In a novel bid to spread the festive cheer, they had this campaign for the following consecutive Saturdays.^[16]
A group of undergraduates who met on the PTT BBS started a Free Hugs movement in the Kaohsiung, Taiwan Urban Spotlight Arcade on January 28 2007.^[17]
As part of an initiative to combat discrimination against people infected with AIDS or HIV, the French Government will call on its citizens to embrace strangers who hoist signs in the street offering free hugs.^[18]
On April 14, 2007, Portuguese waitress Sara Viera living in Newcastle Upon-Tyne, England was reported on both BBC News and local press to be giving Free Hugs in the streets of Newcastle City Centre.

On February 27th, 2008 a highschool student, Simone Morrison held a free hugs downtown Kitchener, Ontario.
On March 8th, 2008 a group of 10 teens aged 14-17 went to Reading, lead by Tobias Hawthorne and Samantha Cottom, to celebrate 'National Hug Day'. Within the first hour over 200 hugs had been given and recieved.
On March 22nd Free Hugs were given out in Stuttgart Germany for 3h and the usually thought to be cold "Schwaben" were happy about the love the students spread.
On March 29th, 2008, two female free huggers "Autumn and Erika" stood in Central Park with self-created signs, "This is the most satisfying experience of my life. I want to feel this way every day," said free hugger Erika. They hugged willing strangers for 2 hours, reported a hugging rate of 65%, with a pretty good rate of influence from those who were struck by the desire to hug. There were even passersby who walked squarely by but returned for a hug moments later, as if, to give in to the part of themselves that did, indeed, want to hug. "Because everybody wins. Free warm cozy hugs are sometimes hard to come by," said Erika.

On March 22nd,2008 a group of four men celebrated "National Hug Day" on Grafton Street in Dublin. After 2 hours four teens took over and continued giving hugs for another hour.

References

^ ^a ^b Ellen ConnollyHugs and smiles, but not everyone embraces the trend Sydney Morning Herald, November 6, 2004 Cite error: The named reference "smh" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ Andrew Ramadge, Free Hugs star a 'security risk' NEWS.com.au
^ Free Hugs campaign arrives in Taiwan, Independent Online (South Africa), October 7, 2006
^ Ten News broadcast by Angela Bishop, from the last weekend of September 2006
^ News on Corriere della Sera
^ Pre-game coverage for Game 5 of the 2006 World Series
^ Juan Mann on Oprah
^ Huggers end up in police custody
^ Shaun Boyd.'Free Hugs' Movement Spreads To Boulder, CBS4 News (Denver, Colorado)
^ Gratis knuffels op de Meir (in Dutch)
^ Goedaardig virus verovert de wereld (in Dutch)
^ A little tenderness in a world of roughness... (in French)
^ WHO.com interview
^ Chicago Free Huggers video
^ Fox News Chicago feature on Huggers Nicholas Markos, Amber Gribben, and friends
^ The Straits Times, "The Sunday Times Lifestyle", L5. December 24, 2006. "Care for a hug?" by Eunice Quek.
^ Kaohsiung Liberty Times
^ Free hugs for France, news.com.au, March 12, 2007

External links

[img]http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/7115/achterkantqn8.jpg[/img]

Other countries

[smh-1] Ellen ConnollyHugs and smiles, but not everyone embraces the trend Sydney Morning Herald, November 6, 2004 Cite error: The named reference "smh" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).

[2] Andrew Ramadge, Free Hugs star a 'security risk' NEWS.com.au

[3] Free Hugs campaign arrives in Taiwan, Independent Online (South Africa), October 7, 2006

[4] Ten News broadcast by Angela Bishop, from the last weekend of September 2006

[5] News on Corriere della Sera

[6] Pre-game coverage for Game 5 of the 2006 World Series

[7] Juan Mann on Oprah

[8] Huggers end up in police custody

[9] Shaun Boyd.'Free Hugs' Movement Spreads To Boulder, CBS4 News (Denver, Colorado)

[10] Gratis knuffels op de Meir (in Dutch)

[11] Goedaardig virus verovert de wereld (in Dutch)

[12] A little tenderness in a world of roughness... (in French)

[13] WHO.com interview

[14] Chicago Free Huggers video

[15] Fox News Chicago feature on Huggers Nicholas Markos, Amber Gribben, and friends

[16] The Straits Times, "The Sunday Times Lifestyle", L5. December 24, 2006. "Care for a hug?" by Eunice Quek.

[17] Kaohsiung Liberty Times

[18] Free hugs for France, news.com.au, March 12, 2007

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