One of the important methods we use to educate communities and the public about FOP, is by using point of sale ie. leaflets, posters, and t-shirts. Here at Tin Soldiers, we like to do things a little differently, so instead of putting some images and copy on these materials, we decided to profile members of our own FOP community.
We took five of our special FOPers and treated them to a day of glamour in the form of a film shoot. The whole shebang, from hair and make-up to clothes and lighting, our main objective was to make our ladies look and feel fabulous!!
These are the images we use on all our communication materials as well as on social media and presentations for conferences. The educational materials are written in the local language/s of the communities we are talking to, which helps deepen connection to the reader. Our materials have travelled to places like Sweden, Russia and Brazil and have been translated into the local dialects.
The poster and leaflet show what FOP looks like, the toes, lumps and bumps and flare ups. They also provide a few key facts as well as important contact details, should anyone wish to get in touch. The Tin Soldiers t-shirts are unique in that they also show clearly what to look for, to help us identify and find more patients with FOP. We refer to them as walking billboards and give them away to health care workers.
If you’re interested in helping us spread the word by printing and distributing some of these materials in your country, please get in touch at info@tinsoldiers.org.