This summer world attention is focused on Africa, where the World Cup soccer competition just concluded. That made this an ideal time to launch a project designed to benefit Africa and achieve another important goal at the same time. That is training a new generation of Angelenos to pitch in and help make Los Angeles the Creative Capital of the World.
The launch of PITCH:AFRICA on Thursday, July 8 provided a good example of both effective citizenship and effective communications. Annenberg Foundation Executive Director Leonard Aube explained how the PITCH:AFRICA concept stood out among the thousands of funding applications the Foundation receives each year. The program addresses one of the most important challenges the world faces today — critical shortages of fresh drinking water.
The program’s technology provides a solution that has multiple benefits. It integrates a rainwater filtration and storage system with a soccer field that can serve as a community center. The concept was developed by clean technology experts Jane Harrison and David Turnbull.
The Annenberg Foundation of Century City and its philanthropy partner Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project chose a community event to launch the pilot. They created a protoytpe on our own waterfront at Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro. And the guests of honor were soccer players and soccer fans from local Boys and Girls Clubs.
Live demonstrations showed how this technology can share its benefits. Local soccer stars from the “Futboleros Club†gave the soccer field a good workout. Young soccer players joined in for a lesson. And the energetic young women from the Palos Verdes Riptide soccer club showed how they could play soccer at the same time the PITCH:AFRICA system collected and filtered rainwater. Alive satellite broadcast greeting from event co-sponsor Charlize Theron linked the local audience directly to South Africa, the location where the first full-scale trial will take place. Theron, a native of South Africa, was helping her home country play host to international visitors viewing the World Cup.
Over 200 local youngsters participated in the launch. They saw a good example of Los Angeles citizens doing their part to help the rest of the world by doing more than just donating money. This project highlighted the keys to successful giving — innovation and communications. And by taking part in this communications event, the young Angelenos learned more about their daily walk-on roles in making Los Angeles the Creative Capital of the World.
For more information: http://blisstree.com/live/pitch-africa-for-clean-drinking-water/
