Global Citizen Festival 2024: Music, Activism, and Action for a Better World

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By JohnPosted In: PovertyTagged: , , , , , , ,

The 12th annual Global Citizen Festival returned to New York City’s Central Park on Saturday, September 28, 2024, drawing a crowd of 60,000 attendees despite rainy weather. This event, held in conjunction with the UN General Assembly, aims to unite world leaders, artists, and activists in the fight against extreme poverty.

This year’s musical lineup was star-studded, featuring performances by Post Malone, Doja Cat, LISA, Jelly Roll, Rauw Alejandro, Benson Boone, and RAYE. Attendees were also treated to a surprise acoustic set by Ed Sheeran and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who performed four of their hits together. The event was hosted by Global Citizen Ambassador Hugh Jackman, with special appearances from figures such as Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and UN Messenger of Peace Dr. Jane Goodall.

The festival focused on three key pillars: Defeating Poverty, Defending the Planet, and Demanding Equity. Leading up to the event, over 3.4 million actions were taken by Global Citizens, resulting in $1 billion commitments from organizations, world leaders, and corporations dedicated to addressing these critical issues. The festival also made significant strides in sustainability, with the stage powered entirely by a SmartGrid battery system, a notable step toward reducing the event’s carbon footprint.

Aiming to mobilize the next generation, organizers offered free entry via their mobile app in exchange for volunteer work or signing petitions, making participation more accessible to young people. A standout moment of the night was Doja Cat’s passionate speech on global injustices, urging attendees to continue using their voices for change. She stressed that everyone has the ability to bring “change, love, light, and hope to those who need it most.”

The Global Citizen Festival continues to be a powerful platform for raising awareness and driving action on critical global issues, blending the universal appeal of music with the urgency of social and environmental change.

Ideas for Charitable Giving to Education

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: , , ,

classSometimes, even if you have the time or money to dedicate towards helping others, you just don’t know where to begin. It’s ironic that we often end up doing nothing simply because we don’t have direction for our efforts. For people who are interested in improving educational opportunities for children in America and around the world, there are certainly thousands of resources.

One way to help children and to impact educational services is to think small. Talk to a local school and see what needs they have in the library. You might start a few magazine subscriptions from National Publishers Exchange or another company and have those educational magazines sent to the library each month. Turtle magazine, for instance, helps early readers and can be sent by National Publishers Exchange each month.

For people who want to send money somewhere or do something more global, here are just three of the thousands of possibilities to give you a taste of the choices for charitable giving.

1. Aura’s House: This is a grassroots project that raises money for housing, health, income generation and educational projects for children in developing countries. since 2003, they have been working with Children International.

2. ClassWish: This is a nonprofit organization that addresses the shortage of teaching supplies by allowing teachers, administrators and others to go to ClassWish.org and create Wish Lists of the items they need for their classes. People can then pitch in to help with the needs that the school identifies.

3. Say Yes to Education, Inc.: This is a United States non-profit that wants to improve inner-city schools. They offer support services at at-risk locations and pledge full scholarships for college or vocational education for children living in poverty.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: , , , ,

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation seeks to “help all people lead healthy, productive lives.”  It firmly believes all lives have “equal value” and thus tries to provide the resources people are lacking to ensure they have enough food and live above the poverty line.  Health and (adequate) wealth are the foundation’s main aims.  In America, the charitable organization (headquartered in Seattle, Washington) works toward facilitating and enabling access to educational opportunities for all, leading to a greater chance of being successful in life. The foundation’s co-chair is William H. Gates Sr., CEO Jeff Raikes, and directed by Bill and Melinda Gates as well as Warren Buffet.  Their mission is to “increase opportunities for people in developing countries to overcome hunger and poverty.”

The three main areas the foundation works in are: Global Development, Global Health, and United States.  In the first, work is done to reach as many people as possible in the areas that have the most potential for “high-impact, sustainable solutions”; in the second, attempts are made for progression in science and technology to save lives in poor countries, focusing on health issues and in the third, the  United States Program work, is geared towards citizens achieving the best – and most – education possible.

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles

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By JohnPosted In: Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Los AngelesTagged: ,

With over 50 years of service and experience, Big Brothers and Big
Sisters of Greater Los Angeles has as their mission to help children
in need.  They do so in a number of ways.  They offer a one-to-one
mentoring program that offers needy children a chance to form a
lasting bond with a pre-screened adult who commits to working with the
child for one entire year.  They help children to strengthen their
sense of self-worth, to improve each child’s resilience, self-efficacy
and sense of future and more.

In the past year alone, 1670 at-risk children and youth from the
greater Los Angeles area were matched with carefully-screened
supportive adult volunteers.  90% of the children come from families
with annual household incomes at or below the Federal poverty level.
More than 75% of the children are from single parent households and
30% of the children are referred to the program through the L.A.
County Department of Children and Family Services.