What is Twestival?
On Thursday 25 March 2010, people in hundreds of cities around the world will come together offline to rally around the important cause of Education by hosting local events to have fun and create awareness. Twestival (or Twitter Festival) uses social media for social good. All of the local events are organized 100% by volunteers and 100% of all ticket sales and donations go direct to projects. If you would like to get involved, please Register a City or Volunteer and we will get in touch. Organizers will be given a handbook and invitation to our collaboration workspace. Follow @twestival for updates.
The Impact of Twestival
On 12 February 2009, the first Twestival Global was held in 202 international cities to support@charitywater, who we saw doing incredible work to help the almost 1 billion or 1 in 6 people in the world that don’t have access to clean and safe drinking water. Over 1,000 volunteers and 10,000 donors fundraised $250k+, which resulted in more than 55 wells in Uganda, Ethiopia and India having a direct impact for over 17,000 people. Watch the videos of the first Twestival well drilled in the village of Mai Nabri, Ethiopia.
In September last year, 130 cities participated in Twestival Local which invited organizers to host events and select local causes to support. Collectively, these cities raised over $450k for 135 charities.
In 2010, we turn our focus to education and 72 million children in the world who don’t go to school.@Concern Worldwide has been selected by the Twestival global team and local organizers to be the recipient because of their comprehensive and well respected approach to education. This is an issue that involves many different elements; hunger, water, teacher training, building of schools, etc. We hope to use the power of our global event fundraising and social media influence as a vehicle to give people insight into this cause on a deeper level.
About Concern Worldwide.
Concern Worldwide was founded in 1968 to meet the needs of people living in extreme poverty, for whom every day is a fight for survival. Concern is a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of poverty. Their mission is to help people living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives - improvements they can sustain without ongoing support. Concern meets the needs of these people in a caring and personalized manner, respecting their human and cultural dignity. They are committed to reaching the most vulnerable, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Concern’s work is informed by a vision for change and their education programs target the poorest people in the poorest countries in the world, with particular emphasis on reaching out-of-school children such as girls, orphans, street children, working children, children affected by conflict, children affected by HIV and AIDS, and children with disabilities. Concern’s education programs currently reach over 700,000 people in 25 countries across the regions of Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.
Where the Twestival funds will go.
For as little as $28USD they can provide the uniform, books, pencils, and paper a child needs to attend one year of school. Concern Worldwide are able to guarantee that 100% of Twestival funds will go direct to project costs. This means that the money would be used for material purchases (curriculum, desks, pencils) as well as project activities such as construction of schools; rehabilitation of classrooms; teacher/management training; PTAs; HIV/AIDS school clubs; water and sanitation in schools; health education in schools; education advocacy; vocational/life-skills training for youth, farmers and women; and curriculum development for secondary school/university. Money will not be used for things like administration, overhead, reporting oversight, etc. Concern Worldwide requires all fields that receive money strictly adhere to a six- and 12-month formal reporting protocol in which the field details the specific activities it has undertaken and how the funds were utilized. This system provides a very tangible case studies, evidence and updates, and other detailed information about how programs have progressed and benefited program participants; including the financial allocation in field; the GPS locations of schools in receipt of funds; digital video clips and photos from the schools; and case studies/quotes from people who have benefitted from the projects. As cities are confirmed and fundraising goals are set, we will work with the team at Concern Worldwide to identify specific projects we will be supporting.
FAQ
Where did the map go and how do I know if my city is registered?
We are currently in a transitional phase for the website. Once cities are officially registered, we will link to a page which lists them until the map and the new Twestival Global site for 2010 is launched in a couple of weeks. You can tweet @twestival if you have any questions, or ask people in your community if they are interested in hosting an event.
I want to get involved, what do I need to do?
You can complete the form to Register Your City or Volunteer. We will process this within 24-48 hours and put you in touch with your local team or find a way to put your skills and services to good use.
What can a local Twestival organizing team expect once their city is approved?
Once you have submitted your interest in hosting an event in your city for Twestival 2010, our global team will get in touch to confirm within 24-48 hours. Organizers will receive an organizers’ pack, a free license for @gotomeeting, invitation to our collaboration workspace with @huddle and introduction to our regional coordinators who are there to support you with additional tools. You can start to invite other local volunteers to join your team and we will send through any volunteers that register through the website.
When will event tickets go on sale (donations for Concern Worldwide start)?
We are currently putting in place an infrastructure to keep track of city fundraising totals while cities start to get their logistics and planning in place over the next few weeks. This will be available in early February.
