Save the Children harnesses the power of Twitter for its first ever 12-hour conference

Twitter chats are certainly not a new concept. Everyone from US Vice President Joe Biden to the the UK Metropolitan Police Commissioner have used Twitter as a way of connecting with their audience, and it has proven to be a successful vehicle for interviews. Today, Save the Children is taking the concept to a new level with their first 12-hour Twitter Chat.

The event, which can be followed right now under the hashtag #HiddenCrisis or on its Twebevent page aims to raise awareness about malnutrition in children around the world.

The event kicked off in Australia, has now moved to Singapore, and will slowly be making its way around the world via Twitter, going to Indonesia, Rwanda, Pakistan, Egypt, Afghanistan, the UK, Kenya, South Africa and Brazil. The 12-hour event is also accompanied by offline activities taking place in over 12 countries.

50 moderators, 3 continents, 12 timezones, 3 languages and a collective reach of millions of followers, the online event is taking on the form of a conference rather than a chat, and is a great example of how the power of Twitter can be harnessed for good.

The Tweet Chat panel includes the Rwandan Health Minister Agnes Binagwaho and Bollywood star Kunal Kapoor, as well as Kenyan and South African activists and Egyptian development workers, among others. Experts, charities, civil society groups, bloggers, and more are all coming together to discuss a problem, both online and offline, which leads to the deaths of 2.6 million children per year.

While it is common for Twitter to play an integral role in conferences, with attendees live-tweeting every minute detail of the day, Save the Children’s approach of making Twitter the actual venue allows for a truly global experience, where all you need to participate is a hashtag.

With an ever-present fixation on how Twitter is being used by brands to promote their products and services, Save the Children’s Twitter Chat is a great reminder of the ways in which the social network can be used to raise awareness, and that there’s truly no limit to the ways that you can push the platform to meet your own needs, 140 characters at a time.

If you’re looking for tips on how to use Twitter to have your own Twitter chat, check out our guide here.