#UpForSchool Town Hall event marks the Rise of a global movement

Watch Steve Nguyen’s Rise #UpForSchool video here

The #UpForSchool Petition was launched last September at a youth rally in New York. It demanded that the international community kept its promise to get every child into school and learning.

One year on, a global movement has been born and TEN MILLION people have signed the petition – including world leaders, celebrities, young activists and ordinary people from communities around the world.

The amazing success of the world’s biggest education petition will be marked on Monday, September 28 at the #UpForSchool Town Hall event – back in New York where it all started.

One of the many highlights of this dynamic gathering will be a powerful video called Rise made by Steve Nguyen, the Vietnamese-American director, writer and film producer who has helped to spread the #UpForSchool message. It tells the story of three of A World at School’s network of 500 Global Youth Ambassadors in 85 countries.

Guests and youth activists at last year’s #UpForSchool launch

The event at the Town Hall in Manhattan is a chance for people to make their voices heard and shout out the message that every child in every country has the right to an education. It is being hosted jointly by the British charity Theirworld and the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF.

Theirworld President Sarah Brown will tell the audience: “It is fitting that the #UpForSchool Town Hall event will take place in a historic building like the Town Hall. Over 90 years ago, this building was created by suffragettes demanding women’s right to vote. On this day, we gather at the Town Hall to help kick off the Sustainable Development Goals and demand the right of every girl and boy in the world to a free and quality education. 

“More than 10 million people have signed the world’s largest petition – led by you, by young people worldwide and backed by hundreds of thousands of organisations, civil society groups, businesses, politicians, activists, faith groups and teachers supporting the movement.

“During today’s UN General Assembly your message was delivered to world leaders. It will drive forward real decisions that will result in more children going to school.”

Children at #UpForSchool event held by BRAC in Bangladesh

The Town Hall event, attended by more than 1500 people, will be kicked off by two more prominent #UpForSchool supporters – American actor and TV star Rainn Wilson and teenage education campaigner Lulu Cerone. 

Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education, will deliver a passionate speech on the right of every child to have hope and to get the quality education they deserve.

Other high-profile guests will include Graca Machel, the renowned advocate for children’s and women’s rights who was also at the #UpForSchool launch last year, and UNICEF Deputy executive Director Fatoumata Ndiaye.

Highlights include a film about Lebanon’s first day back at school and a special performance by the spoken word group I Sell The Shadow, based on the story of two of the Chibok schoolgirls who escaped their Boko Haram kidnappers.

Join the 10 million! You can still sign the #UpForSchool Petition here.