WE?VE ALL SEEN the video.

A group of people in New Zealand ordering food from McDonald?s by singing their own version of Jason Mraz?s hit ?I?m Yours.? It?s a hit on YouTube ? 318,041 views and a solid five-star rating (a major feat considering 1,305 people voted) ? and the link has also made rounds on Twitter, Facebook and various blogs.

Bigger story

Realizing that there?s a bigger story behind this YouTube hit, Super tracked down the members of Family Life Education Pasefika (FLEP), the group that created the video. ?We rehearsed the song around the office once and then headed out to a McDonald?s across town.?

?It was nerve-racking! I had sweaty palms! Haha! I was more concerned with getting our cues right so as not to stuff up the whole order and also because I had to push in line to get my order through. I didn?t want to upset anyone in the queue,? said Iri Aumatangi, the third singer in the video.

?And we never expected the cashier to start singing along. She?s got guts!? added Sofi Alexander-Pua.

After they shot the video, people kept approaching them around the mall, wanting to know more. ?It was creating a bit of a buzz.?

But FLEP isn?t just about posting cool videos online. ?We?re a health education provider based in Auckland. We run programs in schools, tertiary institutions, community groups, churches and prisons. We are a Pacific organization that is committed to empowering all communities to enhance their capacity to improve well-being. We use a wide range of creative media to enhance dialogue with communities. We use music, art, drama, dance and humor,? says manager William Pua.?

Hooked

After realizing that more and more young people are getting hooked on social networking sites, FLEP decided they needed to be online too. ?We needed an online presence, something that would get the youth interested and talking about FLEP and the work we do.?

They launched their project ?Random Acts, Island Styles? in February of this year. ?We started performing random acts of drama and music out and about in the community.?

Their McDonald?s stunt was one of them. There are more ? the best man?s speech that had the entire wedding party howling in laughter, singing on escalators, the unexpected disco song at a shopping center, a gorilla playing the drums in a busy intersection, and even one of them doing the chicken dance with a giant chicken mascot all over the city.

These videos are all available for viewing on YouTube.

?Everyone you see in that McDonald?s clip and all our other Random Acts videos are FLEP educators. Even the people holding the cameras and the cell phones that you see. We all sit around in a group and discuss ideas for possible Random Acts.?

Chicken dance

The FLEP have their favorites. Ruth Uo said, ?Mine was the Chicken Dance. The video was so much fun to make. It brought back good memories from primary school.?

Pora Reatere and Adrienne Samuelu agree on the Gorilla Drumming in Busy Intersection. ?It was our first Random Act and it was such an adrenaline rush, setting up those drums in a busy intersection!? they said.

Because ?Random Acts, Island Styles? was an attempt to reach out to young people in Auckland, the FLEP educators were surprised to realize that they soon had fans from around the world. ?It?s been cool. It?s become much more popular than we ever expected! We sort of thought that it would just stay local but the international interest has been amazing!? said Nat Alexander-Pua.

They even got the attention of Jason Mraz who ended up blogging about their video on his website. Jason wrote, ?I dig what these talented people are doing by taking their art into the real world, being joyous and unafraid to shine their light in random acts, enrolling others in their wonderful state of play.?

The people behind FLEP said, ?We did this really in the hopes that it would lighten up somebody?s day, bring a smile to someone?s face.? And the amount of feedback tells us they?ve been doing just that.

Great opportunities

Nat adds, ?The project has generated some great opportunities for us. We?ve been contacted by local charities asking us to perform to raise funds for some great causes. There are even people posting videos on YouTube of them performing the McDonald?s Order in their own languages at their local McDonald?s! It?s crazy!?

They?ve even gotten requests at other fastfood places. ?We went to our local KFC and were recognized by the staff there. They asked us to sing them a song and they?d give us all free dessert! And because we were all hungry, we did! It was so funny!? he said.

Bobby MacDonald shares why he loves being part of Random Acts. ?We get to try new things out. We?re exploring the medium of video. We?re learning to push ourselves out of our comfort zone.?

Their families are also happy about the work they?ve been doing.

Adrienne said, ?They love it! My seven-year-old niece knows all the words to the McDonald?s Order.?

?Some of my young nephews and nieces think we?re famous now! Haha!? Pora added.

Challenge

When asked which Random Act has been the most challenging to pull off, they said it was the Best Man?s Speech slash Wedding Song. ?That took the longest to write, especially because it was a secret but the groom kept turning up in our office when we were trying to write it! That was so frustrating!?

There was also one Random Act they regret doing. ?Our first Random Act inspired by the Cadbury gorilla drumming ad. We spent two days filming our drummer, Sofi, in the gorilla suit playing along to the Phil Collins song in random places across town like the Auckland Zoo, roundabouts and shopping centers. When we finally finished filming and editing it, we uploaded it on Youtube and within an hour it was removed for breach of copyright because of the use of the Phil Collins song! Haha! What a waste!?

And while they?ve had many unforgettable moments while doing their Random Acts, one stands out in particular. ?We filmed two whole days worth of footage of different FLEP members doing Random Acts in the gorilla suit, wearing the gorilla suit and going to a hair salon and asking for a trim, things like that. After a long day of filming, our graphic artist accidentally pressed ?delete all? on our DVD camera and destroyed two whole days of work!?

Still, the FLEP educators are undeterred in their quest to perform more Random Acts around their city. They also have advice for people who want to create a similar movement in their own neighborhood. ?Plan it out. Plan for different scenarios. It may not go exactly as planned so be prepared. Film from different angles. It?s good to be creative and try new things. Just go for it! Get out there and give it a go.?

Visit www.flep.co.nz.