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Salvation Army calls on its members worldwide to sign #UpForSchool Petition

Up for School or #upforschool campaign

THE Salvation Army has pledged its support to the #UpForSchool Petititon, which demands that world leaders take immediate action to get every girl and boy into school.

Salvationists, friends and students of Salvation Army education establishments are being urged to join the five million people who have already signed the petition. These signatures will be collected in time for the church and charity’s 150th anniversary congress in London in July. 


The international community made a promise in 2000 to get every child into school by 2015 – but progress has stalled. 

Now, through the #UpForSchool campaign, young people, non-governmental organisations, civil society, teachers, faith-based organisations and more than 100 of the world’s leading businesses are coming together to call for action now for all children.

The international leader of The Salvation Army, General André Cox, is supportive of the petition and hopes The Salvation Army in 126 countries can mobilise people to add their signatures.

The Salvation Army has pledged its support to one of the biggest petitions in history – #UpForSchool – demanding that…

Posted by The Salvation Army International on Thursday, 30 April 2015

He said: ‘The greatest resource in the world today is not oil, gold or money – it’s the millions of young people whose potential is yet to be realised. We need to empower them, support them and engage with them. School provides a route out of poverty and good education is vital if every child is to have the opportunity to reach his or her full potential.”



The Salvation Army has been involved in education since its early days. In 2015, as it celebrates its 150th anniversary, it runs 2700 schools, colleges and universities worldwide, with 18,485 teachers providing an education to 686,166 pupils – including a large number who wouldn’t otherwise be able to go to school. 


On July 3 the main session of the Boundless Congress will have a social justice focus and The Salvation Army petitions will be collated and presented on that day. Each Salvation Army territory, region and command is being asked to encourage its members, officers, employees, staff and others – including children over the age of seven – to sign the petition, showing that they care deeply about the transformative power of education for every child.

If every one of these pupils and teachers signed the petition, along with every Salvation Army officer and every senior and junior member, they would add almost 2.5 million signatures!

Ben Hewitt, Director of Campaigns at A World at School, said: ‘We are excited to be in partnership with The Salvation Army as part of the global movement.

“Faith communities have played a vital role in many of the great social justice movements that have transformed the lives of millions of people around the world and it is inspiring to be working together on this historic campaign to get every girl and boy into school and learning. No child should be denied an education and together we are building a message that no world leader can ignore.”

Salvation Army YouTube news show features #UpForSchool

The #UpForSchool Petition, including all the signatures collected by The Salvation Army, will be presented by Gordon Brown – in his role as United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education – to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

How you can sign The Salvation Army’s #UpForSchool Petition


1. A paper petition can be printed from one of the many different language files available here. Petitions should be sent to the relevant territorial/command/regional headquarters (from where A World At School will collect them). The cut-off date for signed paper petitions to be at headquarters is June 30. 



2. An electronic petition is online hereand can be signed until 8am (UK time) on July 3. 

A World at School resources to help promote the petition can be downloaded here.

Find out more about the #UpForSchool Petition and keep up to date with campaign news.

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