Students busk for global health

Pete Yee

FEEL THE BEATS Student volunteers Karmen Li (left) and Hannah Sinn (right) bang out awareness of global health issues on Whyte Avenue last weekend.

The streets of Edmonton were filled with music last Saturday when two student groups, Student International Health Association and Music as a Weapon, teamed up to raise funds and create awareness about global health issues.

Busking was the medium through which the groups delivered their message. 14 busking stations were located in high-traffic areas around the city, including Whyte Avenue, the Strathcona Farmers' Market, and various LRT stations. Members of Music as a Weapon drew in crowds with a range of entertainment.

Performances included singing, guitar, drumming, trumpets, spoken word, juggling and hula hooping. SIHA representatives stood alongside the performers, handing out pamphlets and collecting donations for their annual project in Tanzania. SIHA Fundraising Coordinator Shaughnessy Fulawka believes that creating awareness is just as crucial as fundraising in the effort to effect global change.

“It’s important to know about broader global health, and to raise awareness about what life is like across the world so we can foster a global community,” Fulawka said.

SIHA travels to Tanzania to provide health education to various communities. The 10-week trip gives students a chance to create sustainable progress in community health, and is also an opportunity to better understand different cultures and get first-hand experience in international work.

SIHA’s partner in this event was Music as a Weapon. The group, made up of students from both the University of Alberta and Grant MacEwan University, helps other organizations meet their goals by providing talent and energy to events like this.

Music as a Weapon juggler and U of A student Brad Curtis was excited to share his talent while helping out a good cause.

“We really believe that music and collaboration are super important. We like to find other groups who are doing really cool things and help them out in any way we can, as well as getting our own sort of things on the go, and bringing it down to street level where it’s accessible for everyone,” Curtis explained.

The two groups had high hopes for their event. Music as a Weapon organizer Lucas Coffy anticipated that their group’s message would reach a couple of thousand people. Coffy described the exciting mixture of entertainment and advocacy that the group makes possible.

“We do fundraising, hold inclusive musical events, bring people together and use art as a vehicle for social justice,” Coffy said.

Grant MacEwan student Jessica Holgby sang and played guitar in the University LRT station, and enjoyed interacting with all the different passersby.

“I love seeing smiles on people’s faces walking by. I love little kids in strollers with big grins on their faces,” Holgby said.

SIHA recruitment is done annually in September. Information about other SIHA fundraisers and activities can be found on their website at www.siha.ca.