#UpForSchool: 10 million signatures and still counting

Up for School or #upforschool campaign

November 19, 2015

#UpForSchool event held by the National Congress of Somali Youth

We handed in the #UpForSchool Petition to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

An incredible 10 million people signed our demand for every child in the world to be given a quality education.

The tide is turning – thanks to a growing global movement of people who are determined to make their voices heard. Find out here what was achieved for education at the UN General Assembly.

We may have handed in those 10 million signatures – but the #UpForSchool campaign goes on and supporters around the world are continuing to spread the word.

Here is a roundup of some of those events.

UNITED STATES

Denise Zeiger Farrelly from Kingsborough Community College in New York City said: “The Education Program’s Social Sciences in Education students (and some of their children) organised a petitioning event for #UpForSchool to raise awareness and support the 59 million children worldwide who are not attending school.

“We held our event on campus and it was a great success! My students were so passionate about the cause and they were able to raise awareness and collect many signatures.”

RWANDA

The Excel School held #UpForSchool events for its students – including a football match and a children’s debate about educating girls.

SOMALIA

The National Congress of Somali Youth visited schools, universities and internally displaced people in the Mogadishu and Beletwein areas.

EGYPT

Egyptian Global Youth Ambassadors Naglaa Lithy and Amal Abdulkader AL-Ariqi organised an “Aid to educate” camp where these young activists are pictured with #UpForSchool posters.

MEXICO

Form 2 students at La Escuela de Lancaster in Mexico City held a music festival to promote #UpForSchool. Teacher Lana Balorda said: “The event was a real success and was attended by all of the school and some parents. The students managed to collect more than 360 signatures, not only during this event but also by raising awareness in their extracurricular clubs and their neighbourhoods.”

UGANDA

GCN Uganda wrote a blog about what #UpForSchool meant for the country. Highlighting the new Sustainable Development goals, it said: ‘You can expect focus on education SDG 4 in policy formulation for education in Uganda. And more specific interventions by the government to increase the number of girls going and staying in school. Keep the flame burning! Share the report, get your friends to sign the petition!”

IRELAND

Presenting principal Maura O’Regan @BawnmoreNS w/ Cert of Appreciation for school’s contribution to #upforschool pic.twitter.com/4nvePpIpdh

— Fidelma Healy Eames (@senhealyeames) November 10, 2015