All of these manifesto examples are about one thing: change. But what sort of change do you want to make?
There are two basic types of change. You’re either saying NO to something or YES to something. You might also think of this as away from (I don’t want that) and toward (I do want this).
Previously I shared 10 of the best NO Manifesto examples. Today I share 10 of the best YES Manifesto examples.
And at the end of this post, grab the YES keywords you need to write a manifesto.
The most common form of a YES manifesto is a Goal. And one of the most powerful goals of all time was US President John F Kennedy’s speech to Congress in 1961. He declared:
“…I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space, and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”
John F Kennedy, US President.
And if one goal can be a manifesto then a bucket list of goals is one too.
Sebastian Terry wrote 100 items on his bucket list and then went out and did them. He wrote a book about his adventures. It’s an inspiring read. Some of the goals in Terry’s manifesto include:
What’s on your bucket list?
A song as a manifesto? Why not. The intent is the same, it’s just a different expression of a manifesto. John Lennon’s song Imagine is a worldview manifesto example – it’s a statement of the world he wants to live in. And I’d be happy to join him.
Here are the opening lines:
Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us, only sky.
Imagine all the people Livin’ for today Ah
Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too
Source: Lyricfind
Another popular way to write a YES manifesto, especially in the corporate world, is to declare your values. Your values become your guide for how you want to act and behave. Australian software maker Atlassian has these five corporate values:
You can also use your values to write a personal manifesto.
(Other symbol manifestos include: the peace sign, a national flag, a coat of arms, and a smiley face)
In the 1970s, New York City had a reputation problem. People thought it was a dangerous city because of the high crime rate. Plus, the city was on the verge of bankruptcy.
An advertising campaign was commissioned to change this perception and attract tourists as a way to inject money into the New York economy.
Legend has it Milton Glaser came up with the design while sitting in the back seat of a taxi cab on his way to a meeting.
Since then it has become the official slogan of New York and versions of it have been copied around the world.
This manifesto example tells people how to feel.
This is one of my all-time favourite manifestos and I included it in my list of top ten famous manifestos of all time.
It’s an ad by Apple from 1999. Surprisingly, it doesn’t show any of their products and not a single computer. Instead, it powerfully states who they make their products for. It’s their brand philosophy as a manifesto TV ad.
The ad uses images of famous creators – how many do you recognise?
In 2014, the United Nations Global Solidarity Movement challenged the idea that gender equality is a women’s issue.
The HeForShe movement invites people of all genders to stand in solidarity with women to create a bold, visible and united force for gender equality and social change.
In the 1960s, Nelson Mandela was imprisoned by the apartheid government of South Africa.
And a worldwide campaign Free Mandela began soon after.
With global involvement, it had many forms. This included numerous protest events and in 1984, British music group The Specials AKA released the song Free Nelson Mandela.
Mandela was released in 1990. He had been imprisoned for 27 years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgcTvoWjZJU
It’s been predicted that we will run out of fresh water on the planet by 2040. The surprising fact is we have less fresh water than oil. And we use it at a much faster rate.
That’s not good news. But we can do something about it: Save water.
The Clean Ocean Foundation is one of many who campaign to save water.
A YES manifesto has two qualities. You’re either defining what you want (JFK goal) or you are defining what action to take.
Dutch Group Platform 21 want to do its part for the planet. Their big idea is to stop recycling and start repairing. And there are three good reasons for this.
As a result, Platform 21 came up with its Repair Manifesto. It’s 11 principles you can adopt to extend the life of your things. Their principles include:
How can you use this to write a manifesto?
Simply use this two-part formula: YES word + Cause
For example, Free + Mandela or Save + Water.
Here is a list of keywords you might use to write a YES manifesto, plus an example of each one.
If you’d like more manifesto examples or to write a manifesto then check out these next:
There are also over 250 manifesto examples on 1000Manifestos.com
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