NEW YORK CITY – In creating the Global Citizen Tickets Initiative, Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis and Global Poverty Project (GPP) CEO Hugh Evans have found a way to channel their fans’ passion for music into an opportunity for social action.
The GPP is an education and advocacy organization working to “increase the number and effectiveness of people taking action to end extreme poverty,” and thus recognizes that donations and treaties are not enough to bring about true, total improvements to the state of global poverty.
Thus, the GPP teamed up with Curtis to power the Global Citizen Tickets Initiative in order to promote education and awareness as a top priority, and recognized concert-going masses as its prime target audience. The initiative has proven to be a great way to mobilize the public into social activism while doing something they love and would do anyways—attending concerts for their favorite bands.
So how does it work? Fans can easily register online with Global Citizen Tickets at globalcitizen.org/tickets and begin raising awareness for poverty, signing petitions, calling their representatives’ attention to pressing issues or donating directly to various organizations. Global Citizens can also earn points by watching educational videos, taking quizzes on articles, and social media sharing. With each deed of social activism participants accumulate points that are later redeemable for free concert tickets to any one of their favorite artists.
Though the idea started as a Pearl Jam humanitarian initiative, Curtis soon realized that the project would be more effective if more artists participated—and the idea certainly appealed to many artists looking to lend a hand. Curtis remarks, “the ask[ing]was really easy…most people said ‘yes’ right away.”
One might ask now, once these groups are gathered and the project is set up, how do the funds raised and garnered support proceed to help those in need in the developing world?
Broadly, the GPP relies on its partnerships with non-profit organizations such as ONE, Malaria No More, the ISIS Foundation to make a social impact in developing countries. Thus, the Global Citizen Ticket Initiative seeks to impact disastrous polio and malaria rates, foster women’s empowerment, achieve food security and promote academic success in areas where these factors are not yet at sustainable or acceptable standards.
The Global Citizen Tickets team has now expanded to include over 60 artists such as Beyoncé, Kings of Leon, One Direction, Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, the Dixie Chicks, and many more. So now, thanks to the imaginations of Curtis, Evans, and the entire GPP team, great, live entertainment and social advocacy are only a click away.
– Alexandra Bruschi
Source: Crave Online, Global Citizen
Photo: Global Citizen