Under ONE Sky
UI Pentacrest Lawn — Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
This Thursday, University of Iowa students will celebrate the eve of the United Nations announcement of their new Global Goals. The event, Under ONE Sky, is hosted by the University’s ONE group: an organization that focuses on public awareness of poverty and disease, and encourages legislators to make effective changes. The college-based grassroots group has more than three-million members and insists they “don’t ask for your money,” they “ask for your voice”.
The event starts at 7 p.m., and is meant to be a “passerby” event, meaning people can drop in for a few minutes just to get informed and have fun. ONE representatives will be there to talk about the anticipated Global Goals, as well as hear student opinions about what we, as a society, should be focusing on. The main purpose of the event is to get people excited enough to continue to learn more on their own, which on a campus full of busy and distracted students is perhaps the most effective way to start change.
Most recently, the group collected signatures for the #PovertyIsSexist campaign, a ONE-led drive to raise consciousness about the many ways poverty disproportionately affects women. The United Nations’ 17 new Global Goals will be officially announced Friday, but the overall themes are already known. Themes include decent work and economic growth, reduced inequalities, climate action, peace and justice. Although these goals may seem like common sense, the United Nations’ clear emphasis provide a road map to what is important to today’s citizens of the world. More telling is the fact that college students, at Iowa and at ONE groups around the country, are excited about the future improvement of our world.
