Facebook campaigns set up by service users will become a powerful weapon in the fight against cuts

Facebook groups pop up every day for different causes but last weekend one particular group caught my eye. 
 
It was for a campaign initiated by a young person who has taken part in a Do it 4 Real summer camp run by the charity YHA (formerly the Youth Hostel Association).
 
These government-subsidised camps have enabled young people, many from low-income backgrounds, to have holidays that might otherwise have been impossible.
 
As government departments review their funding, schemes like Do it 4 Real are under threat.
 
So I was excited to learn that a camp participant had got wind that the camps might be no more and – unprompted – set up a Facebook campaign to save it.
 
I should declare that my company has in the past produced multi-media content about Do it 4 Real and earlier this year provided some PR for it.
 
That aside, I think this Facebook campaign has interesting implications and is worth keeping an eye on because it highlights the fact the people who use your services are your best ambassadors.
 
The group, made up of parents as well as young people, has been posting messages and ideas to save Do it 4 Real.  The ideas range from writing a petition to calling and emailing government departments (The Treasury is currently at the top of their list).
 
I think this is a sign of things to come as people in the frontline of cuts to services start their campaigns.
 
The question is: how will organisations respond to this kind of direct action? Will they harness this people power so that passion can be channelled into direct results?  
 
It remains to be seen whether this Do it 4 Real group makes a difference and gets heard. I hope it does.
 
It would be great to hear how other charities deal with this kind of e-campaigning.