Helping the world and going to a life-changing concert, what could be better? Thanks to the Global Citizen Organization I felt like I was truly helping the world by spreading awareness. I spread the word on an array of topics, ranging from women’s rights to hunger. I would recommend everyone to get involved in this incredible organization. As their slogan goes “do not be a generation of bystanders”.
The Global Citizen Festival works as a raffle, giving you eight chances to win. Since 60,000 people attend, there is a very good chance of you being chosen for this opportunity. After signing up you will need to complete about eight actions for every one of the eight entries.
The actions range from tweets to emails and phone calls. The easiest action is signing the petition and the hardest is the phone call. The phone call, for me, consisted of calling various government leaders and leaving a message. One time I was connected to a receptionist. Fortunately, they were understanding and supportive, making me feel relaxed and confident to talk about the issues. The Global Citizen organization’s website is very reliable and every time I had technical difficulties they were fixed in no time, making sure I completed my actions before the deadlines.
Now let me talk to you about the unforgettable concert I went to in 2015. Since each winner gets awarded two tickets, we arrived promptly at one o’clock near Central Park. Little did we know that the line for the entrance would wrap around the park. It took us forty-five minutes to walk to the end of line! We stood in line for three hours and I missed my favorite band Coldplay's performance. Lesson for the future: arrive at ten in the morning. We arrived just in time for a presentation about a global issue on sanitation and clean water. The man in the sunglasses spoke from his heart about the issue, and when it was stated he was Leonardo DiCaprio, everyone’s hearts melted.
The singer next in line was a popular ginger named Ed Sheeran. All the girls lost their voices when he walked on stage and soon had trouble singing along. The mass of people awkwardly swayed to his slower songs and danced with all their might to his upbeat ones. Between the songs there were many amazing and inspiring speakers such as Joe Biden. Everyone stood up and listened intently as he produced a sincere speech incorporating all the Global Issues of world peace, starvations and education. I thought he might even announce his presidential campaign. At the end he presented the next speaker: President Obama. I sprang to my feet, screams flooded the crowd. Even individuals who would usually oppose and bash him stood up and just as quickly sat down. It was sadly just a recorded video. With the following presentations from Bill Nye, Hugh Jackman and Laverne Cox, my night was already complete, but it was only getting started. The Queen was up next.
Beyonce slayed. Period. I become a Beyonce-fan in an instant. From her vocals to her dance moves, everyone was in the grove. Her duet with Sheeran resulted in tears. The true highlight of the night was Malala. Her bravery inspired everyone. Sixty-thousand people were speechless after her dialogue. The microphone was soon given to no one other than Michelle Obama, who did a fine job. She then announced the next Global Citizen, and when she pronounced those two syllables, I lost it. Bono. I broke the eardrums of all the ignorantly silent teenagers around me. After I cried through his presentation the next singer took me by surprise. It was Sting. As all the teens yawned, I cried. Many other celebrities came on stage, too many to name really. The show was concluded with Pearl Jam. It was a truly unforgettable experience.
