International
Volunteering with ONE – at U2’s Show in Gelsenkirchen
On August 3rd U2 played their second and last show for Germany in Gelsenkirchen. As in Berlin, ONE staff and volunteers were at the show in Gelsenkirchen to sign up new ONE members. ONE volunteer Leonie describes her experiences during the exhausting yet fulfilling day.
The sun is shining so things look promising! Everything is explained and soon enough, me and the other volunteers from all across Germany are ready to hit the crowd. There’s a huge queue of people all waiting in line for the doors to open, and they seem keen to join ONE.
Later that afternoon it’s my turn to photograph as many people as possible as they demonstrate their creative take on kissing the future. This job is really fun!
As we hear Snow Patrol perform their last song we hurry to take down our stand in time. Everything needs to be packed into the truck again, so it can hit the road for Chorzow, the next stop on the U2 tour, right after the show.
Until the doors opened, I was busy signing up plenty of new German, Dutch and Belgian ONE supporters, handing out a bundle of flyers and above all, having great conversations with so many people. Most people are really open to ONE’s issues and so we manage to cross all cultural and language barriers easily.
The ONE team are taking photos of people who’ve signed up to ONE so they can be part of a section of the show called ‘the future needs a big kiss’. Unsurprisingly, people are really keen to participate as there’s a chance their photo will go up on the screen during the show.
Finally, U2 come on stage and we get to watch the show. I really enjoyed dancing and listening, along with 74 000 fans, in a very impressive setting. After the show, we approach the concert-goers as they’re leaving, which is a nice end to the evening. There are still plenty of fans who are really curious about ONE, especially after all the great ONE elements featured in the show.
All in all, it was a great day, characterised by diverse encounters, an impressive show, four Irish musicians and unlimited sunshine.
-Leonie Adam
- Previous Post A-List: Blood Knot
- Next Post What We’re Reading 8/20/09
 |
 |
 |
About the Blog
The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.