What does it mean to be a citizen of the world? | Hugh Evans

TED
4 May 201616:57
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe speaker introduces Davinia, a global citizen making a profound impact by collecting pennies to fund girls' education. The narrative expands to define global citizens as individuals committed to tackling global challenges. The speaker shares his journey from a curious child to an activist, emphasizing the power of collective action in influencing policy and effecting change. The Global Citizen movement, driven by music and activism, is highlighted as a catalyst for mobilizing citizens worldwide to demand and enact sustainable solutions to global issues.

Takeaways
  • 🌟 Davinia's Dedication: Davinia, a woman from Jamaica, has made a significant impact by dedicating her time to raise funds for girls' education, collecting over 700,000 pennies and sending over 120 girls to school.
  • 🌐 Global Citizenship: The concept of a global citizen is introduced, emphasizing individuals who identify as members of the human race and are prepared to act to tackle global challenges.
  • 💪 Collective Impact: The power of collective action is highlighted, showing how global citizens can influence policy and bring about change, such as doubling investments in education and health.
  • 📚 Education Initiative: Davinia's initiative to fund girls' education through collecting pennies exemplifies how small, consistent efforts can lead to significant outcomes.
  • 🏦 Local Bank Notoriety: Davinia's unique method of fundraising has made her somewhat infamous at her local bank, where she deposits large amounts of pennies.
  • 🎤 Music as a Mobilizer: The speaker discusses using music as a universal language to recruit and engage global citizens, as demonstrated by the Global Citizen Festival.
  • 🎫 Action-based Participation: The Global Citizen Festival has a unique ticketing system where attendees must earn their tickets by taking action on global causes, emphasizing the importance of active participation.
  • 🌍 Global Challenges: The script addresses various global issues such as poverty, climate change, and gender inequality, suggesting that these are solvable through the efforts of global citizens.
  • 📈 Systemic Change: The importance of systemic change in community development is emphasized, rather than just charity, to create lasting impact.
  • 🗳️ Political Influence: The speaker shares personal experiences of influencing political figures to invest in global health and development, illustrating the potential of citizen advocacy.
  • 🔄 The Fluctuating Nature of Political Support: The script points out the need for a sustainable movement that is not dependent on the whims of politicians or economic conditions.
Q & A

  • Who is Davinia and what is her remarkable impact?

    -Davinia is a woman born in Jamaica who emigrated to the US at 18 and now lives outside of Washington, DC. Her remarkable impact is that she has been collecting pennies from her friends on Facebook to fund girls' education, ultimately sending over 120 girls to school.

  • What does it mean to be a 'global citizen'?

    -A global citizen is someone who identifies primarily as a member of the human race, rather than a specific state, tribe, or nation, and is prepared to act on this belief to tackle global challenges.

  • What is the speaker's personal story and how did it influence his view on global citizenship?

    -The speaker grew up in Melbourne, Australia, and was deeply affected by his visit to a slum in the Philippines where he met Sonny Boy, a child living on a landfill. This experience made him realize the need for systemic change and motivated him to mobilize citizens to demand such change from their leaders.

  • What was the outcome of the Make Poverty History campaign in Australia?

    -The Make Poverty History campaign in Australia successfully rallied citizens and led to the Australian government doubling its investment into global health and development, amounting to an additional 6.2 billion dollars.

  • Why did the speaker and his friends found Global Citizen?

    -They founded Global Citizen to create a sustainable movement of global citizens who would consistently demand systemic change from their leaders, as they realized that one-off spikes in activism were not enough to bring about long-term change.

  • How does Global Citizen engage and recruit citizens to take action on global issues?

    -Global Citizen uses music as a universal language to engage citizens. They organize festivals like the Global Citizen Festival in New York City's Central Park, featuring major artists, and require citizens to earn their tickets by taking action on global causes.

  • What is the significance of the Global Citizen Festival being held during the UN General Assembly meeting?

    -The timing of the festival ensures that world leaders who are gathered for the UN General Assembly cannot ignore the voices of the global citizens demanding action on global issues.

  • How does the concept of 'activism as currency' work in the context of Global Citizen Festival?

    -At the Global Citizen Festival, tickets are not bought but earned by taking action on behalf of a global cause. Citizens earn points based on their actions, and once they've accumulated enough, they qualify for the festival.

  • What are some of the achievements of global citizens as mentioned in the script?

    -Global citizens have influenced the US government to double their investment into the Global Partnership for Education, persuaded the World Bank to invest in water and sanitation, and encouraged the Norwegian government to double their investment into girls' education. They also partnered with Rotarians to secure commitments for polio eradication.

  • What challenges do global citizens face in persuading world leaders to focus on global issues?

    -Global citizens face the challenge of overcoming the 'all politics is local' mindset of politicians who prioritize local or national interests. They need to demonstrate that global issues have local impacts and that world leaders should be held accountable for addressing them.

  • What is the speaker's vision for the future of global citizenship?

    -The speaker envisions an army of millions of global citizens, growing into tens of millions, who are connected, informed, and engaged, persistently demanding action on global issues and refusing to accept inaction from world leaders.

Outlines
00:00
🌏 The Remarkable Impact of a Global Citizen

The video introduces Davinia, a woman from Jamaica who, despite not being a political figure or a lobbyist, has made a significant impact by dedicating her time to help educate girls around the world. Davinia's initiative began with a Facebook request for pennies, which resulted in the collection of 700,000 pennies and the enrollment of over 120 girls in school. Her story exemplifies the concept of a 'global citizen,' someone who identifies with humanity as a whole and takes action to address global challenges. The narrator emphasizes the importance of global citizenship in solving major issues like poverty, climate change, and gender inequality, and shares their belief that a world with more active global citizens would be better equipped to tackle these challenges.

05:01
🎤 Mobilizing Global Citizens Through Music and Action

The speaker recounts their journey from a curious child in Australia to an activist who co-founded the organization Global Citizen. They highlight the importance of community-driven development and the need for systemic change on a global scale. The Make Poverty History campaign in Australia is mentioned as a significant event that led to a temporary increase in government investment in global health and development. However, the speaker notes the necessity for a sustainable movement that is not dependent on political whims. The Global Citizen Festival is introduced as a platform to rally citizens and influence leaders during the UN General Assembly meetings. The unique aspect of the festival is that tickets are earned through activism, emphasizing the requirement for citizens to be active participants in global change.

10:02
📢 The Power of Global Citizenship in Action

This paragraph discusses the collective impact of global citizens, using Davinia's story as an example of how individual actions can lead to significant policy changes. Davinia's simple act of collecting pennies and engaging in community activism inspired others and contributed to the U.S. government doubling their investment in education. The narrative showcases various instances where global citizens have successfully influenced world leaders to commit to addressing issues like water sanitation, girls' education, and polio eradication. Despite the progress, the speaker acknowledges the ongoing challenges in maintaining a focus on global issues and the need for global citizens to hold leaders accountable.

15:02
🌟 The Future of Global Citizenship and Its Potential

The final paragraph envisions the future role of global citizens in driving positive change worldwide. It outlines the goals of global citizens to hold leaders accountable for the implementation of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, partner with NGOs to eradicate diseases, and increase the scale and impact of their actions. The speaker reflects on their personal connection to the cause, inspired by their experiences and the people they've met, like Sonny Boy. The narrative concludes with a call to unity and action, inviting the audience to identify as global citizens and embrace the potential for collective impact on the world.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Global Citizen
A 'Global Citizen' is an individual who identifies with being a member of the human race first and foremost, rather than being confined to a specific nationality, ethnicity, or culture. In the video, this concept is central to the theme, as it describes people like Davinia who are dedicated to making a positive impact on a global scale, transcending national boundaries to address worldwide issues such as poverty, education, and climate change.
💡Impact
In the context of the video, 'Impact' refers to the significant and positive influence one can have on the world. Davinia is highlighted for her remarkable impact through collecting pennies to fund girls' education, demonstrating that even small actions can lead to large-scale change when combined with the efforts of others who share the same global vision.
💡Education
Education is a key theme in the video, emphasized by Davinia's initiative to fund girls' education. It is portrayed as a fundamental right and a tool for empowerment that can break the cycle of poverty. The script mentions how Davinia's efforts have sent over 120 girls to school, illustrating the transformative power of education.
💡Poverty
'Poverty' is a recurring issue in the video, used to describe the challenging living conditions of individuals like Sonny Boy, who lives on a landfill. The speaker's encounter with poverty in the Philippines is a turning point, sparking a lifelong commitment to addressing global issues and advocating for systemic change to alleviate poverty worldwide.
💡Systemic Change
Systemic Change refers to the transformation of underlying systems and structures that perpetuate issues like poverty and inequality. The video emphasizes that charity alone is insufficient; instead, a broader, systemic approach is needed to address and solve global challenges effectively.
💡Activism
Activism in the video is depicted as the active participation of citizens in promoting, impeding, or directing social, political, economic, or environmental change. It is the currency of the Global Citizen Festival, where attendees earn their tickets through actions that support global causes, thus embodying the principle of active global citizenship.
💡Sustainable Development
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations to address various aspects of development, including poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, and more. The video mentions the importance of global citizens in holding world leaders accountable for tracking and implementing these goals.
💡Community Development
Community Development in the script refers to the process of enabling a community to take control of its own development. The speaker's experiences in the Philippines led to the understanding that community development should be driven by the communities themselves, which is a key aspect of addressing global issues at a grassroots level.
💡Parochialism
Parochialism is the focus on or concentration of one's interests on one's own local area or issues, often to the exclusion of broader concerns. In the video, it is criticized as an outdated and dangerous mindset that fails to recognize the interconnectedness of global issues and the need for collective action.
💡Accountability
Accountability in the context of the video means holding world leaders responsible for their commitments to global issues. It is a key function of global citizens to ensure that promises made by leaders, such as the SDGs, are not only stated but actively pursued and fulfilled.
💡Social Media
Social Media is highlighted in the video as a powerful tool for global citizens to connect, inform, and engage with one another and with world leaders. It has transformed the way individuals can participate in activism and advocacy, giving a voice to millions and enabling collective action on a scale previously unattainable.
Highlights

Introduction of Davinia, an unremarkable woman with a remarkable impact.

Davinia's initiative to collect pennies for girls' education, resulting in 700,000 pennies and over 120 girls sent to school.

Davinia's local fame at the bank for her penny donations.

The concept of a 'global citizen' and its significance in tackling global challenges.

The speaker's personal journey from an inquisitive child to an advocate for global issues.

The transformative experience in the Philippines that sparked the speaker's commitment to global issues.

The realization that charity alone is insufficient to address systemic global problems.

The success of the Make Poverty History campaign in Australia and its influence on government policy.

The need for a sustainable movement beyond one-off policy changes.

The founding of Global Citizen and its mission to mobilize citizens for systemic change.

The low percentage of people who take action on global issues despite their concern.

The strategy to recruit and activate global citizens using music and social media.

The unique ticketing system for the Global Citizen Festival that rewards activism.

The collective impact of global citizens on policy decisions, exemplified by Davinia's story.

The challenges of maintaining political focus on global issues amidst local concerns.

The importance of global citizenship in the current age of social media and information access.

The future vision for Global Citizen and the role of global citizens in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.

The call to action for individuals to identify as global citizens and contribute to global change.

Transcripts

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Global CitizenshipSocial ImpactEducation SupportCommunity ActionCivic EngagementCharity EffortsWorld ChallengesActivismSustainable DevelopmentHuman RightsClimate Change