International Coup for Irish Aid Agency as Concern Worldwide Selected as Twestival Global Recipient for 2010 Second annual event to be held in more than 175 cities to benefit Concern’s education programmes. Irish gigs in Dublin, Galway and Belfast will combine with global offline events and online action via Twitter “festival”.
Dublin, Ireland - 19 March 2010 - Concern Worldwide, Ireland’s leading humanitarian agency, has been selected as the Twestival Global 2010 recipient for education. Proceeds will benefit the organisation’s work providing access to quality education for out-ofschool children, orphans, child labourers, conflict-affected children, and children affected by HIV and AIDS. Twestival Global is a global series of events organised by volunteers around the world under short timescales via Twitter to raise awareness of and rally support for a great cause. Motivated teams in hundreds of cities around the world organise events, and harness the power of Twitter to support the work and mission of an international nonprofit organisation they independently recognise as outstanding. The first Twestival Global in 2009 raised over $250,000 for the NGO charity: water to help that organisation fund programmes that provide clean, safe water to communities in developing countries. Selection as the 2010 recipient is a massive coup for the Irish aid agency. “An estimated 72 million children worldwide are not enrolled in school. Concern is committed to reaching those left behind and giving them access to learning and the chance to break out of the cycle of poverty,” said Chief Executive of Concern Worldwide, Tom Arnold. “Twestival Global is revolutionising the way concerned citizens all over the world connect to the poorest among us. We are thrilled to have been chosen, and we’re rolling up our sleeves to make the most of this opportunity.” Amanda Rose, founder and chief organiser of Twestival, commented: “Organising online and gathering offline allows Twestival to harness the incredible communication power of Twitter to propel participation in real events around the world,” said Amanda Rose, founder of Twestival. “By using social media platforms such as Twitter, Twestival is able to connect hundreds of independent local events into a powerful global initiative. “It is inspiring to see how collective local actions, online and off, can have such a profound impact towards something so life changing as education,” she added. Twestival launch gigs in Ireland are being held in Dublin, Galway and Belfast next Thursday, March 25th and will feature local bands, games and prizes.
Twestival Dublin is taking place at 6.30pm in the Odeon Bar, Harcourt St, and is sponsored by Eircom; Twestival Galway will be held at 7.30pm in Hotel Meyrick in Eyre Square. Twestival Belfast takes place in Slide on Ann St at 8pm 1
More information and how you can get involved, online and offline, is available at: http://www.concern.net/blogs/posts/twestival-2010
The public can receive regular updates online through the Concern website, www.concern.net and follow Concern on Twitter at http://www.concern.net/twitter.
Contact: Communications Department, Dublin: 01-417 7700
Note for Editors: Concern Worldwide is an international, non-governmental, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.
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