Malay Mail, 23 March 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: If you have a Twitter account, love to meet people and concerned with reducing poverty around the world, then the Twestival Kuala Lumpur team needs you!
On Thursday, KL will host its second Twitter Festival, also known as “Twestival”, a non-profit event which brings together fans of the free social networking and micro-blogging service for a good cause.
"We were inspired by Twestival Global (in which each city organises their own tweet-up to raise funds for one global cause) in Feb 2009, whereby 202 cities hosted Twestival Local to support the organisation Water, and over US$250,000 (RM825,000) was collected and used to build 55 wells in Ethiopia. It was really good to find out how social media can make a real difference to society," said the co-founder of Twestival KL, Chan Hui Ling.
"Last September, when I found out that Twestival Global was recruiting new cities to organise Twestival Local, I signed up as a volunteer."
Twestival KL will be held on Thursday at Starbucks, Tropicana City Mall from 7pm onwards, and open to the public for a minimum donation of RM5. Supporters can follow the event @TwestivalKL on Twitter (www.twitter.com/twestivalkl).
This event, organised by volunteers from Twestival KL (www.kualalumpur.twestival.com), is to raise money for Concerned Worldwide, an international humanitarian organisation focused on improving the lives of the impoverished and ending extreme poverty.
Malaysian Twitterers can help support the event by offering their services or put products up for auction.
As 100 per cent of the money collected go to Concerned Worldwide, Twestival KL relies on charitable companies to make the event a success.
Volunteered auctions are posted onto http://twestivalkl.wikispaces.com/Auctions and Malaysian twitterers are able to bid on the auctions via Twitter.
More information on the terms and conditions of the auction can be found on the Twestival KL website http:// kualalumpur.twestival.com/2010/03/08/get-involved-auction-yourselves.
The auctions will close on the day of Twestival KL (Thursday) and attendees will have one last bid.
For the first time, Twestival will also be hosted in Kota Kinabalu and Penang on the same day.
The first Twestival in Malaysia was held on Sept 12 last year, whereby over 200 participants came together and raised over RM11,000 for Destiny Starting Point, a home in Klang which trains and rehabilitates delinquent youth.
The event, driven by volunteers and generous sponsors, will channel all proceeds to the home.
"This year, we are targeting for at least 50 people to turn up and approximately RM3,000 to be collected from our public auction," said Chan.
