Social media activists in Kerala are gearing up to organise the State’s first ever ‘Twestival’ or Twitter Festival in Kochi on Thursday.
Twestival is aimed at using the social media for social good.
According to the organisers, it would also be a grand celebration of Kerala’s culture and community spirit.
Dubbed ELECTROWESTIVAL, Twestival in Kochi will feature the city’s Electro Boy DJ Arvee; Stand up Comedy by Siddharth, KochiVibe; and a Techno-Humor Geek extravaganza by Binny the blogger.
Twestival will be happening in more than 175 cities around the world on Thursday. Thousands of people will demonstrate social media’s power for social good through the second annual Twestival. The global event is a worldwide fundraising initiative that uses social media,particularly Twitter, to focus participants’ talent and resources to benefit one cause for one day. All proceeds generated from the 2010 Twestival will support education and be donated to Concern Worldwide.
Seven cities in India are participating in the second global Twestival - Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, Kolkata, and Mumbai.
In 2009, Twestival India was able to raise over Rs. 90,000 for the nonprofits supported. “Considering the ever increasing number of Indians taking to the social media platform Twitter, we expect to more than double this amount in 2010,” the organisers said in a press release.
“The most special thing about Twestival,” said K. M. Vaijayanthi, Regional Coordinator for India, “apart from the nonprofit we support, is the way we work. Twestival is 100 per cent volunteer driven. All of us working for Twestival in India, and elsewhere too, are working professionals who believe they can use their free time for a global cause like this.”
“Organising online and gathering offline allows Twestival to harness the incredible communication power of Twitter to propel participation in real events around the world,” said Amanda Rose, founder of Twestival. “There is no shortage of people who are passionate and want to help. The challenge is coordination, not participation. By using social media platforms such as Twitter, Twestival is able to connect hundreds of independent local events into a powerful globalinitiative. At last year’s Twestival, more than 1,000 volunteers and 10,000 donors raised more than $250,000 to provide clean and safe drinking water for more than 17,000 people. We know this works—and we’re excited to make it work for every child in the world that deserves an education.”
