skip to main |
skip to sidebar
At the beginning of this blogging venture, I decided that writing about musicians and people in the public eye who were making positive change within society was the best idea. The more I think about it, I have come to the realization that writing about ANYONE, who is making a change for the better is more important than just highlighting celebrities with loads of cash in their wallets. The most amazing people making changes within are society are those who are just like ourselves. Everyone is capable of making a life changing difference in someone else's life, and the movie, A Small Act, really taught me this.
The movie, which I watched with my school at the Toronto Hot Docs Film Festival, is a documentary that follows a Kenyan man named Chris Mburu and an elderly woman named Hilde Back in their life changing story of how one person can make a difference in a child's life.
When Chris was a young child growing up in Kenya, he truly believed that his education would come to a halt when he reached the end of his first years of education. Money was sparse, as it is in most families in Kenya, and he was beginning to stay home to work instead of going to school. He was one of the top students in his entire school district. Then, a woman named Hilde Back decided to sponsor a child's education from halfway across the world. This child was Chris. Hilde, a woman who had survived the Holocaust and was living as a teacher in Switzerland wanted to make a difference in someone's life, but did not realize how far the small donation would go. She ended up paying for Chris's entire primary education which eventually led him to getting scholarships at high schools and Harvard University. A small donation ended up being the stepping stone into this man's unbelievable future.
Because of the great success that Chris had from a women simply making a donation to help put a child through primary education, him and his cousin who was also put through primary education and continued on to Harvard with Chris, have started a foundation in honor of Chris's donor, Hilde Back.
The Hilde Back Education Fund, which was created in 2001 by Chris, his cousin, and a group of educationists was created with the goal of, "providing funds and other assistance to bright children in the area whose chances of pursuing education are diminished by poverty." (http://www.hildebackeducationfund.com/about-us.html)
As people living in the Western/Developed world, it is easy to see an advertisement on television or in the paper saying we should help kids who are suffering in Africa. We are told that if we do not finish the food on our plate it is bad because, "children are starving in Africa." This is all very true, but often people are so overwhelmed that they find it hard to understand where to put their money and who to trust with their money. As well as constantly being thrown advertisements to help children abroad, often people are left wondering where their money is actually going. Does it go directly to the cause, or to the organization helping these children abroad? With an organization such as the Hilde Back Education Fund, it is clear to see where the money is going. Simply by reading about why this foundation was started, who started it, and how it is run directly working with people in Kenya, it is clear to see that the money is being put to good use.
As citizens of the WORLD, I believe that we have a responsibility if it is possible to help as many people as we are capable of. The Hilde Back Education Fund aims to do just that. With just a small donation, it is possible to change someone's life completely, and this is something that is proven through Chris's organization and life story.
To read more about Chris and the Hilde Back Education Fund, please follow these links:
Hilde Back Education Fund
A Small Act
The English, alternative rock band Coldplay was formed in London in 1997. The band consists of 4 members: Chris Martin (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Jonny Buckland (lead guitar), Guy Berryman (bass guitar), and Will Champion (drums, back up vocals, other instruments). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldplay) Known for their mix of acoustic and rock music, they have grown fame immensely over the 13 years since their formation.
Imagine heading off to University, thinking of the four years that lie before you and pondering over the experiences that will come. Now imagine you are in your orientation week at a large University in London, and you meet fellow students who share your love for music. Over the next two years, you and your close friend form a band originally called, “Starfish” and begin performing at local clubs and bars. In 1998, after two years of playing the bar and club scene, the band which is now called “Coldplay” releases 500 copies of their first album, Safety EP. Flash forward ten years, and you are now a member of one of the most famous bands worldwide; how does it feel to be a superstar? Welcome to the life of a member of the band, "Coldplay"!
The band, which gained fame throughout the late 90’s and early 2000’s, played their first headlining tour in 2000 which marked the beginning of their clime to global fame. Later that same year in November, the band released their album, Parachutes, which earned the band a Best Alternative Music Album at the 2002 Grammy Awards.
Currently, the band is working on their fifth in studio album which is set to be released in the middle of 2010. Up to this date, the band has won multiple awards, ranging from American Music Awards, Grammys, and MTV Music Awards, to awards such as the Mercury Award, which recognized British artists who are not only producing fantastic music but who also promote positive change in society.
Coldplay has kept their fame to a subtle level, as they do not allow their band or music to use for any advertisement endorsements. As well as boycotting any endorsements from advertisements ranging from Gatorade to Coke, Coldplay is also politically and socially active and has been throughout the bands career. Known for supporting Amnesty International and advocating for fair trade with organizations such as Oxfam, Coldplay continually becomes involved with charitable events worldwide.
Since the beginning of the formation of the band, Coldplay has given and continues to give 10 percent of their profit to charity. The band also gives all gifts donated to them directly to charity and bassist Guy Berryman has been quoted saying,
“You can make people aware of issues. It isn’t very much effort for us at all, but if it can help people, then we want to do it.”
-Guy Berryman
As well as being with charities and organizations worldwide, Coldplay often supports local initiatives. Recently, Coldplay sponsored a local English cricket team and were quoted saying, “we would be delighted to help.” (http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/index?id=5153944) Artist and lead singer of Coldplay, Chris Martin was involved in the sport cricket while growing up and continues to support local teams in needing of funding.
In my mind, Coldplay is the perfect example of a band or artist that has made it big and famous and yet keeps their status on the down low and low key. Coldplay members are rarely in the tabloids, and when they are, it almost always seems like they are doing something to benefit society. As well as playing fantastic music, Coldplay does a great job at showing that it is possible to be famous and down to earth at the same time!
To find out more about Coldplay and how they're keeping it real, check out these websites:
ESPN
Wikipedia - Coldplay
Coldplay.com
