Oxfam Tour Blog: 16 June 2009

From WikiColdplay

Conversations, Not Numbers

Hello world! I’m writing this as I look over the view in my room of a very quaint Calgary, Alberta in Canada.

We crossed the border into Canada on a 16-hour bus ride a few days ago after a string of amazing shows in San Antonio, Des Moines, and Omaha. The ride was the much-needed opportunity for my bus-mates and I to lounge in our pajamas all day and watch television. It also marked the end of the first leg of the US portion of the tour. I bet you’re wondering how Oxfam America did in terms of sign-ups…

Well, I work very hard to resist the impulse to follow our sign-up numbers because they are never a measure of success for me. Team sizes, weather, and venue type/capacity almost always factor into the total number of sign-ups. Also, the goal of Oxfam’s being on tour with Coldplay is to use the access to millions of people all over the world that the tour provides us in order to have conversations with people about how they can fight poverty at the local, national, and global level. Each sign-up represents more than just a name on a sheet, it represents a dialogue about change, and that’s what matters most to me. But, if you must know…

Buffalo- 970

Detroit- 618

Cincinnati- 518

Indianapolis- 1299, thereby snatching the record-holding title from Team West Palm Beach!

Nashville- 845

New Orleans- 415

San Antonio- 741

Des Moines- 853

Omaha- 710

14,637 total for Oxfam America! Nothing makes me happier than when I walk into Coldplay’s production office to mail a box of 4, 5, or 6 thousand sign-ups to our Oxfam America’s data entry firm. Its like walking in with a trophy that is the fruit of months of planning and the labor of hundreds of volunteers. Our goal is to get 30,000 people to take action with us during both of the United States legs of this summer’s Viva La Vida Tour. If you’d like to be part of the 30,000 strong voices against hunger, poverty, and social injustice, simply text VIVA to 30644.

Since we’re on the topic of sign-ups, you may be pleased to know that Team Winnipeg blew my mind yesterday with the most sign-ups that I’ve ever seen at a single concert in my many months of concert outreach.

Team Winnipeg was built by Megan, a recent high school graduate from Vincent Masey Collegiate, who got involved Oxfam because she likes its broad approach and sustainable development model.

(Center: Megan with Shanleigh, Alexia, Angela, and myself.)

She started an Oxfam club at University of Manitoba, Winnipeg because she’ll be attending college there in the fall in the new human rights and global studies department. And she was an amazing leader, emphasizing that every conversation in one step closer to ending poverty! She set a very ambitious goal for the team of 1,300 new Canadians to call on their leaders to consider how climate change and the global financial crisis disproportionately affect women.

As the evening wrapped up, we began counting the action cards volunteers had brought back.

When all was said and done, we had covered the surface of the table with bundles of 50 action cards totaling 1,398! That’s 1,398 conversations right there…

Much thanks to Megan and Team Winnipeg for showing me that a little ambition goes a long way!

Inspired anew from Calgary,

s

p.s. Here’s a pic of yesterday’s Mexican cell phone wave; it was a-maz-ing! Usually Chris repeats it 3 times with the audience, but after asking the audience to do it once, it just kept circling around the arena through the entire song. I was sitting by Marta at her camera and we’d enthusiastically nodded at each other every time the wave repeated.

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=182