Music and Youth
MTV to air ad free concerts on World AIDS Day
NEW YORK/ LONDON: MTV has announced two mega concerts to mark World AIDS Day; one to be held in Seattle, Washington on 7 November and the other in Cape Town, South Africa on 23 November featuring Grammy winning artist Alicia Keys and local artists.
The former will feature multi-platinum acts Missy Elliott, Dave Matthews and others. Both concerts will be edited together to premiere on MTV channels worldwide on World AIDS Day on 1December, as a 90-minute commercial-free special titled, MTV Presents Levi’s Jeans Staying Alive Concert in Association With YouthAIDS.
The concert special, as well as additional HIV/AIDS awareness programming, is being offered rights free to broadcasters worldwide to get positive health messages out to the widest audience possible; it is estimated the concert will be seen by a potential global audience of more than two billion people. MTV recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Broadcasting Union, the largest association of public service broadcasters, to distribute the programming to 70 additional broadcasters in 51 countries reaching 290 million households.
The concerts will be held as part of an unprecedented HIV/AIDS awareness partnership for youth between business, media, non-government organisations (NGOs) and charitable foundations. The partnership was announced by MTV, the Levi’s brand, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Charitable Foundation, Population Services International’s YouthAIDS and UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS).
Westwood One radio network, in conjunction with Westwood One’s MTV Radio Network, will distribute the concert to radio stations worldwide. The special will be seen by more than 377 million households in 166 countries on MTV channels in the Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Russia.
The unique partnership aims to fight the stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS, prevent further infections and empower youth to make informed decisions. The collaborative effort is being produced in conjunction with MTV International’s Staying Alive campaign (http://www.staying-alive.org) as well as the MTV US yearlong sexual health campaign, Fight For Your Rights: Protect Yourself (http://www.fightforyourrights.mtv.com).
MTV International launched its Staying Alive multimedia HIV/AIDS awareness campaign for youth at the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona which took place in July. Developed in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation and the YouthNet program spearheaded by Family Health International, the campaign includes special programming, a dedicated, informative Web site, public service announcements and locally produced events and initiatives.
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
