If you’re a student at Adelphi or living in NYC, chances are you have heard of the Global Citizen Festival. As a day long concert in the middle of central park, the Global Citizen Festival aims to inspire action to end poverty and raise awareness about a multitude of problems that usually do not plague New Yorkers. The star-studded concert was full of beautiful speeches from some of the most prominent people in the world including: The Prime Minister of India, the Prime Minister of Norway, and the QUEEN of Sweden. The most amazing part? There were over 60,000 people in attendance! Some were VIP ticket contest winners, but the vast majority was made up of people were earned the right to be there by doing things like signing petitions, watching videos, and spreading awareness of global issues across various social media platforms.
One of the most amazing people present was India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Besides being an amazing speaker, he had a message to share and a goal to reach. As Prime Minister, he is making it his mission to make sure that every person in India has access to toilets and sanitation, things that some poverty stricken communities in India do not possess. Prime Minister Modi took advantage of the fact that majority of the audience was young with the words: “Some believe that the world changes with the wisdom of the old. I think that the idealism, innovation, energy and ‘can-do’ attitude of the youth is even more powerful.” A beautiful sentiment, and definitely one that hit home with the young activists in attendance.
Now of course, we can’t leave out details about the performances. Simply put, STUNNING! The stage was well over 100 feet high, a giant circle that has become recognizable as the organization’s symbol. The 60,000+ attendees witnessed show-stopping performances by No Doubt, Sting, Carrie Underwood, fun., Alicia Keys, The Roots, Tiesto, Jay Z, and BEYONCE. Beyoncé was a surprise guest and was not advertised as one of the performers, but naturally, everyone had their suspicions. Queen Bey rocked the stage with hubby Jay Z, supporting this beautiful mission with every note sung (or rapped, in Jay Z’s case). Every single artist put on a powerhouse performance, leaving people dancing and singing until the last minute.
This was the third annual Global Citizen Festival, and with such a powerful message and fun atmosphere, we can all hope that this festival returns next year having accomplished some of its goals and developing even more goals to inspire people around the world to become Global Citizens, one step at a time.
If you’re interested in joining the Global Citizen movement, follow the link below to get more information.