Harpers Army

Harper and his dad Matt both died in 2019 when the car they were travelling in was struck by a falling tree. Harper was nine weeks shy of turning eleven and a promising environmentalist to say the least.

Harper's journey into environmental conservation began young, with a childhood filled with wonder and curiosity about the world around him. From as young as 3 or 4 Harper talked incessantly about dinosaurs, how tall they were and what they ate, and he watched endless hours of documentaries; David Attenborough a particular favourite.

Fuelled with passion and energy, Harper felt compelled to do what he could to make a difference, telling his family that as soon as he was old enough, he intended to travel to the Galapagos Islands to volunteer to work with turtles. In the absence of the Galapagos Islands; Harper’s bedroom over time turned into a living sanctuary. First it was one, then two, then three fish tanks; followed by an array of plant purchases made with pocket money.

Harper soon learned about the big issues such as whaling, climate change and deforestation, but rather than feel defeated, he used this knowledge to drive change. At 7 Harper organised for Sea Shepherd to visit his school; at age 8 he joined a local conservation group and became a Platypus Ambassador; and at age 10 he attended his first School Strike for Climate Change march. Harper’s passion for animal and environmental conservation was admirable in someone so young and his eagerness to learn and to teach others to act was very clear. Harper shone brightly volunteering at community events and festivals where he proudly educated children and adults about ways to protect the environment. During his time as a platypus ambassador Harper participated in cleaning up over 2000 pieces of rubbish, planted over 1000 trees, built and sold nesting boxes for native wildlife and advocated for the successful ban of the Opera House Nets in Victoria.

When Harper died the world lost a generous, kind-hearted soul who was bound to make a big difference, so Harper’s family decided to celebrate what would have been his 12th birthday by taking environmental action in his name. In 2020, Melbourne was a under a strict COVID-19 lockdown with travel limited to 5 kilometers and with that mind, Harpers mother Jacinda asked friends on Facebook to pick up rubbish and post a picture or story to wish Harper at Happy 12th Birthday. No one could have imagined what would happen next.

Within a few days, news of the event reached Jackson in Portugal. Jackson Irwin is the son of Kerry, a previous colleague of Jacinda’s who just happened to be on a quest to pick up a million pieces of rubbish. Jackson who was deeply affected when he heard of Harper’s death, felt moved to action and partnered with Jacinda to do what he could to help.

Within 24 hours Harpers Army was born, a legacy created to honor the life of a brilliant young man; an eco-warrior & a young leader in his own right! What started out as small celebration amongst friends and family who knew and loved Harper, quickly turned into an international campaign with a big goal! Jackson was on a mission to collect and track 1 million pieces of rubbish and with already 850K pieces collected, Jackson donated that collection to Harper with the goal to collect 1 million pieces for Harper 12th birthday.

The campaign invited family and friends, and the broader community to collect some rubbish, take a photo or video and share a birthday message to the Harper's Army page using the hashtag #Hitting1Million4Harper at    Harper's Army with their rubbish total for that day. And within a couple of days of launching the Harpers Army campaign, it began taking on a life of its own, attracting attention from media near and far. People related to Harper's passion for our planet and the tragic story of his death.  In less than 12 days Harper 's Army quickly developed a strong following on Facebook of some five thousand people.

After the local paper featured a story on Harpers Army the campaign took off and during those 12 days of dedication for Harper’s 12th Birthday, Harpers Army attracted significant attention from every national TV media channel including ABC and ABC radio. What started out as small family celebration soon turned into a worldwide campaign travelling to all corners of globe including Germany, “I heard about Harpers story from 1piecearmy whom I follow on Instagram ... I was heavily touched and my heart told me that I had to be a part of Harper ‘s Army and that I have to spread the spirit and the message of Harper in Germany” articulated Susanne.

Feedback from Harpers Army participants shared that they found it easy to participate because they could pick up rubbish in their own time and that they enjoyed being part of a challenge to reach the #1million4harper. Becky had this to say, “I think the reason this action worked so well was because it was so accessible, from anywhere in the world, any neighborhood or street. It was so easy, requiring little planning and having the time frame really motivated us. It is also extremely powerful as it is inciting behavioral changes, not only for those collecting the rubbish, but for everyone who witnesses it. The ripple effects could very possibly be huge”.

Story moves people to action and it changes hearts and minds. When thinking about how you will attract more volunteers to your cause consider how you will tell the stories that connect people in. Ask your committee, and your members, what is our organisation’s story? Dig deep, investigate your vision and look at why you do what you do. Once you find your story, you’ll naturally magnetise others to the work you’re doing. The more powerful the story, the more motivated people are to act.

There were 12 days to complete the mission affectionally termed #hitting1million4harper and that goal was smashed by 200K pieces. Worldwide, Harper’s Army collected just over 1.2 million pieces for the #hitting1million4harper campaign, attracting national media attention and deeply impacted the people who participated, some of which continue to report that they will always, always pick up rubbish for Harper. Anouk shared, “I went for my morning walk today and just out of sheer habit now, found myself grabbing a plastic bag to collect rubbish. I thought to myself ‘here’s another hashtag we could go with #harpershabit”.

Harpers Army came onto the scene with a big story and made a big impact, influencing behavioral change and creating a legacy in Harper’s name. Goggy told Harpers Army, “We too are a Sea Shepherd family and it made perfect sense to help you honour your beautiful kind and loving young man - who will never grow up to change the world as he dreamed - because he didn’t need to - HE CHANGED THE WORLD and he changed people in 12 short years more than many who die in “old age” ever do or care to”.

Big change can take time or no time at all and in the case of Harpers Army it took no time at all! The seeds planted in the hearts and minds of the people that not only participated but that heard the story of Harpers Army, those seeds are immeasurable.

Written by Jacinda Erich