NEW YORK– There was a lively discussion backstage Climate Week NYC between a TikTok comedian, a high-profile actress, a Latin American cuisine entrepreneur and a cooking content creator.
The four were convened by the World Food Program USA to educate the panel’s audience – a combined more than 1.8 million Instagram followers – about hunger. The four weighed up best practices for covering important topics authentically on social media.
“I want to force myself to be more active on TikTok,” said “ Avatar: The Way of Water ” star Bailey Bass. Users “have a thought, talk on their phone and post it. It feels very tangible.”
“But how do you know this is true?” asked Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, who co-founded the culinary brand Toma with his mother and actress Sofia Vergara. “This is just a person talking.”
“But it’s someone you can relate to, so there’s a level of trust,” said Drea Okeke, a Nigerian-American engineer who has become a social media star and has more than six million TikTok followers.
The exchange underscored the questions facing the humanitarian establishment as they try to reach out younger, more environmentally conscious generations who – they routinely acknowledged all the time the many events taking place this week along the United Nations General Assembly in New York – are tasked with pulling the world out of the hole created by years of climate inaction.
Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates acknowledged this during a Q&A promotion for his new Netflix show. “We have left some real challenges for this next generation,” acknowledged Gates, who heads one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the world.
Young people with many online followers can be good placeholders for older institutions looking for relevance for new generations, says Wawa Gatheru. The Kenyan-American activist regularly uses Instagram to advertise Black girl environmentalistthe national community she created to diversify the climate movement’s leadership pipeline.
But Gatheru warned against abusing “any young person who is visible online as an influencer” or, alternatively, downplaying the expertise of youth leaders simply because they are active online.
“To do it well and effectively and not be tokenistic, it is so important to see young people as collaborators, young people as capable,” she told the Associated Press.
Some had “Content creator” lanyards hanging from them Clinton global initiative the necks of attendees in a new part of the annual gathering hosted by the former First Family’s philanthropic foundation.
The two-day event marked the first time organizers intentionally set aside space for influencers to collaborate. It came from the recognition that creators help shape the way “millions of people relate to others and understand their world,” said Francesca Ernst-Khan, Chief Brand and Digital Officer of the Clinton Foundation.
There, during a conversation about the impact of diverse narratives on social movements, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked Shonda Rhimes how to galvanize people into action when their attention is fragmented across so many different platforms.
Rhimes, the award-winning showrunner behind the television hits “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” said, “If you can entertain people, you can teach them anything.” Additional videos on apps like TikTok, she said, can reach people the original content “would never reach.”
“If you can put an emotional story on any subject – if you can put a face to it, if you can create a character for it, if you can show a struggle that is inspiring – you can really grab someone’s attention,” said Rhimes.
It’s an approach long championed by Global Citizen, the international anti-poverty nonprofit returned to Central Park in New York on Saturday for the annual music festival headlined by Post Malone.
Led by former Ambassador Hugh Jackman, there were celebrity appearances and new commitments from world leaders. Bill Nye “The Science Guy,” noted conservationist Jane Goodall and DJ Khaled all graced the stage at various points. English pop star Ed Sheeran surprised the crowd by performing several hits with Coldplay’s Chris Martin in an unbilled late-night set.
According to Global Citizen, the event raised $1 billion. Danish Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen announced that his country would send more than $491 million to the World Bank’s International Development Association. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pledged a combined $530 million for the global vaccine alliance Gavi and food-focused humanitarian aid.
Organizers focused on mobilizing young people, offering free access to the mobile app in exchange for acts of volunteering or signing petitions.
“I know many of you took action with me to earn tickets to be here tonight,” said Grammy-winning rapper-singer Doja Cat in the middle of her set. “But we can’t stop now. Please continue to use your voice to help those fleeing violence get the food, shelter and education they need and very, very deserve.”
According to Navin Durbhakula, calls to action are needed more often in online spaces. Harvard senior’s nonprofit seeks to build more sustainable food systems.
Durbhakula feels that much of the climate-related information shared on social media is “aimed at cynicism,” which he believes is an important “wake-up call.”
“We know there aren’t many things we can do as people who are young and probably don’t have access to the same spaces as professionals,” he said. “But how do we use our voices to raise awareness, to spread more of the important information?”
The four members of the World Food Program’s Zero Hunger Activist Council in the US shared excerpts from their Climate Week panel this weekend. Bass said that despite its tremendous work, the WFP – which describes itself as the largest humanitarian organization implementing school meal programs – has very little brand recognition.
Bass said it is especially “vital” to spread its message because WFP does not have the resources to achieve its current objectives.
Rebecca Middleton, chief advocacy and engagement officer for the World Food Program in the US, said the goal is to increase the influence of young people across all age groups.
“They’re getting a sense of frustration from some of the older generations. I’m Gen X and we haven’t solved it,” she told AP. “It’s not like Generation Z is going to solve it. But I think Gen Z will be the catalyst for the solutions we are looking for as a country and as a world.”
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