We know what you’re thinking. In fact, we’ve been thinking the exact same thing. Running through all our minds is a single thought: Is there an impossibly quick and convenient way to take action with Global Citizen?
The answer to that question, dear action-taker, is yes! You can now take action with Global Citizen on WhatsApp. We recognize that right now, more than ever, the world needs our collective voices to be louder than they’ve ever been if we truly want to end extreme poverty in our lifetimes. That’s why we’ve put advocacy and action-taking right in your pocket.
Over the years we’ve been so grateful for your dedication to eradicating poverty through taking action on our website and app, both of which are still available to you. Our WhatsApp channel adds to those efforts, offering a new way to take action that’s designed for convenience and accessibility, particularly in a fast-moving world, and for those with limited internet access.
How Does Taking Action on WhatsApp Work?
Signing up to Global Citizen’s WhatsApp platform takes just a couple clicks on your device. All it takes is three steps:
- Send a message to our bot to get started. You can do that right here.
- Create a new Global Citizen account or link your existing one.
- Respond to our messages each week to take action and drive real change.
Every week you’ll receive two messages from us. The first will be directly linked to a campaign that we’ll need your support on. This can include adding your name to a petition, leaving a message for global leaders to read, or uploading a video or photo in the call for change. The second message will be an educational piece of content that shines a light on some of the issues Global Citizen is advocating for.
Why Take Action With Global Citizen on WhatsApp?
The call to end poverty is more urgent than ever
Remember, when you take action with Global Citizen, your contributions help inform national and global policies and to amplify causes that urgently need support.
Progress towards achieving the UN’s Global Goals for sustainable development — our universal roadmap for ending global poverty — is disappointingly slow. With conflicts and wars actively oppressing the most vulnerable, not to mention the climate crisis’ hand in increasing global hunger and natural disasters, now is the time to take immediate action for a better future. And nothing is more immediate in this digital age than a WhatsApp message.
The causes of poverty are growing stronger, and we need to be agile and ready enough to be able to advocate for change at a much quicker pace.
Activism and civic space are at risk globally
Exercising the right to speak up and advocate for the most urgent issues affecting our immediate and global communities is becoming increasingly difficult and, depending on where you are in the world, more dangerous — given that civic space is shrinking globally. This doesn’t mean that activism and campaigning should come to an immediate stop. In fact, the opposite is true. The lives of the most vulnerable depend on the voices of those with platforms to speak. That’s what this new WhatsApp channel is, an easily accessible platform to exercise the advocacy that the world needs right now.
You can earn rewards
What’s more is that when you take action on WhatsApp, you’re still eligible for rewards through the app. For instance, action-taking global citizens in Kigali and Lagos, who campaigned for improved healthcare infrastructure via our WhatsApp chatbot earned their way to our Move Afrika event, headlined by John Legend, in both cities. Similar rewards will be accessible to WhatsApp action-takers as new opportunities arise.
In its infancy, Global Citizen’s WhatsApp chatbot was nominated for The Webby People’s Voice Awards in 2024 for Public Service Activism, which celebrated the action-taking work that we currently do and hope to expand with this platform. That’s all thanks to global citizens like you, who signed up to our WhatsApp channel to help shine a light on the world’s most pressing needs.
So, add our WhatsApp activism chatbot somewhere between those hilariously named group chats we know are on your phone, and next to those neverending memes and stickers that your best friends can’t stop sending you.We’ll be right there to share a bit of what’s going on in the world and to give you the platform to campaign for the causes you care about.