21 reasons why five million people have signed #UpForSchool
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Five million and counting! The has smashed through the five million signatures milestone – in fact it’s just hurtled past 5.5 million and is now speeding towards 10 million names.
That means 5.5 million people who have taken a stand. Who care about the education of children. Who took the time to sign the petition and support our youth-led demand that world leaders stick to their promise to get every girl and boy in every country into school and learning.
They have come from all over the world to join the growing campaign that the international community cannot ignore. People in 206 countries, territories and dependencies in every corner of the globe have added their name to the cause.
We need to keep those signatures coming, to hand over to world leaders when they meet at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Here are some of the reasons why so many people have signed – and why many millions more will join the #UpForSchool campaign.
1. EVERYONE CAN GET INVOLVED
You have a voice. So use it. This new A World at School video sums up the #UpForSchool campaign and why we hope you sign our petition. The message is clear and simple but the difference it can make is enormous.Ìý
2. IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE POWER
Young people – like these ones from Girl Child Network Uganda – have had enough of waiting for world leaders to take action. We’ve had youth-led #UpForSchool rallies in cities across the world, including , , , , Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌý.ÌýThis movement is growing stronger and cannot be shrugged aside.
3. SIGN ONLINE OR ON PAPER
It’s so easy to sign the #UpForSchool Petition. You can . And organisations around the world – like Green Hope UAE – are taking paper petitions into their communities.
4. MAKE YOUR OWN PETITION
You can personalise the #UpForSchool Petition and make your own page – which can also reflect your own particular reason why every child should be in school. This page belongs to A World at School co-founder Chernor Bah.
5. COME UP WITH A PLAN
A staggering one million signatures was collected byÌýIdara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA). with their five-point plan. As the people spoke,Ìý to be created in the wake of the Peshawar massacre.
6. STARS ARE JOINING IN
Celebrities looked out their old school pictures on #ThrowbackThursday to mark International Women’s Day and ask their social media followers to sign the #UpForSchool Petition. – others are on our home page.
7. YOUTH ARE LEADING
We have more than 500 in over 85 countries. They’ve been working so hard in their own communities to spread the #UpForSchool message and collect petition signatures. Here’sÌý at a school in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
8. STUDENTS ARE COLLECTING
The Cool kids at are , Are you? Sign here:
— Dennis Ngango (@DennisNgango)
Students in various countries are getting engaged with the #UpForSchool campaign and collecting signatures in their classrooms.
9. ORGANISATIONS HAVE A VISION
When World Vision Bangladesh sprang into action, it was a joy to behold. Rallies, school visits and door-to-door collections. The result? An astonishing 1.5 million signatures.
10. CHURCHES SPREAD THE WORD
In Brazil, Santa Cecilia e Sao Pio X Church in Rio de Janeiro asked the congregation to get behind the campaign and to unite with other faiths around the world. .
11. COMMUNITIES ARE MARCHING
The community of with a noisy rally led by Shining Hope for Communities (aka Shofco) and the wonderful Kibera School for Girls.
12. TEACHERS ARE HELPING
Lessons plans, real-life stories, powerful films. They’re all in the Teacher’s Pack, which educators are now using in the classroom to teach their students about the global education crisis and how they can help to make a difference.
13. PEOPLE ARE NETWORKING
The Bangladeshi organisation BRAC used its vast network of schools and adolescent development clubs across the country to collect a magnificent 1.2 million signatures.
14. CHILDREN ARE CHANTING
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Calling on the Indian government to spend more on education and health, children stood #UpForSchool in Delhi.
15. TWITTER IS TRENDING
Ordinary people, famous names, politicians and activists. Thousands of people across the world have been pushing the #UpForSchool Petition on Twitter. on our #UpForSchool newsfeed.
16. GLOBAL NAMES ARE JOINING
The campaign is growing by the day. In the past few days, we’ve had a Ìý(including Asia’s Got Talent presenters Marc Nelson and Rovilson Hernandez, pictured above) and Ìýto sign the petition.
17. ACTIVISTS ARE FILMING
Global Youth Ambassador and film-maker Jamil from Kabul rises #UpForSchool with this haunting video made in the wake of the Peshawar school massacre.
18. AVAAZ IS APPEALING
In the wake of the Peshawar school massacre in Pakistan, the campaigning website Avaaz carried our petition. .
19. WORLD LEADERS ARE SIGNING
Global Youth Ambassador Hellen Griberg managed to get not one, but two, prime ministers to sign before grabbing a selfie. Here she is with Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg and former Australian PM Julia Gillard, now chair of the Global Partnership for Education. .
20. IT’S A NOBEL CAUSE
When Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi received their joint Nobel Peace Prizes, outside and asked people around the world to sign #UpForSchool.
21. SHARING IS EASY
We’ve got loads of great social share images, #UpForSchool Petition forms, sample letters, blogs and press releases for you to download and get campaigning.
…AND IT CAN BE FUN
Yes, getting every child into school is serious stuff. But collecting signatures for #UpForSchool can be fun too. Here’s Egyptian Global Youth Ambassador Amal Abdulkader AL-Ariq; a dog signing #PupForSchool on National Puppy Day; and #UpForSchool cakes at England’s Winchester University.
You can join in now. Ìýfor more information about how to get involved.
So have you signed the #UpForSchool Petition yet? Yes? Then thank you so much. No? Well, what are you waiting for? Act now – Ìýand become part of the growing global movement.
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