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Last day of Stand Up and Take Action nearly over
There have been marches, rallies, free meals, office parties, tree-planting actions, medical checkups, concerts, football matches and all manner of different actions across the big wide world...
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...and Stand Up and Take Action is nearly over. While the day - October 20th - has already dawned in Asian, African and European countries, activists in the Amercias, and Pacific islands are still waiting to take the final Actions of the day.
People of all nationalities, races, economic means, beliefs and ages have come together across the globe to show governments that they refuse to stay seated or silent in the face of injustice. To show leadership in taking collective and personal actions to end poverty. And to demand that their governments keep their promises to end poverty and inequality and make progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.
Stand Up and Take Action started with a school assembly in Nelson, New Zealand, where students prepared a speech about global poverty and the MDGs and watched a video from the 1985 Live Aid Concert.
Here's an account from teacher Mary Greenland:
"It was the most amazing feeling .... I had two students read a prepared speech about global poverty and the MDGs and then we had the CBC Video from the 1985 Live Aid concert play on the data screen [...] The presenters suggested that when there was one minute of the video left, if the students felt moved by what they had heard and were seeing, they should stand. As kids don't like to be singled out, I had my class strategically placed around the assembly hall and primed to be the first to stand. It was not necessary - at the one minute left mark there was a ground swell of movement and EVERYBODY stood, in the loudest silence I have ever heard. It was unbelievable, humbling! Most of us had tears in our eyes! Even in class later the students were talking about what an experience it had been for us all. I was even stopped by a student in the supermarket that evening to say how moved he had been!"
Fittingly, the last Stand Up event will take place with another island's student action, this time in Honolulu, Hawaii, where middle and high school students of Elite Element Academy will write letters to their U. S. Senators and House member supporting laws to end poverty, while elementary students will draw a picture and take a picture of themselves and their art work, Standing Up against poverty.
We wish that they, and all those who are about to Stand Up and Take Action, have an inspiring and energizing event.
Make sure your action is counted! Please continue to register your events, report your numbers and add photos and videos. If you need some help, see the Event organisers instructions page for guidance.
This massive mobilization has been truly inspiring and shows the hope and commitment of millions of people worldwide to be the generation that ends poverty.
In the next few days, the Stand Up team -- GCAP and UN Millennium Campaign -- will be collecting and verifying the numbers, and an official announcement will be made soon.
In the meantime, please visit http://www.standagainstpoverty.org to see the latest stories, photos and videos from this year's Stand Up and Take Action.
