Tweet Change

A new type of global grassroots event has been quietly underway for the past several months. The star: Twitter. The meme circling the globe: Twestival, a hybrid of Twitter and Festival. So what's the celebration of tweets all about? That all depends if we're talking globally or locally.

The first ever Twestival, in February of 2009, was a global event. Through Twitter, 202 cities from around the world were brought together for one cause: clean and safe drinking water. The theme was chosen by Twestival founder, Amanda Rose and gelled through the help of Scott Harrison, founder of Charity: Water. A quarter million dollars was raised – all of it going directly to the charity. Within weeks of the first Twestival, charity workers flew to Ethiopia to drill the first well and videos were sent via satellite to the very people who had tweeted and made it all happen.

The second, identified as "Twestival Local" took place in September and asked residents of the world's cities to vote, via Twitter, for an individual charity of their choice and then host events locally to support the chosen cause. The aim: to give people a chance to feel they are contributing to a larger social initiative while bringing the cause a little closer to home.

Everything is organized 100 percent by volunteers in a relatively short time period and independent of any not-for-profit. Rose commented to The Blog Herald that "This type of global, grassroots events series could never have happened even two years ago. The immediacy of communication and the ability to tie communities together via Twitter has been crucial."

Returning to the global theme, the third Twestival is already set for Feb. 12, 2010. The Twestival community will get to decide which cause should receive donations this time around. To get involved, the first step is to check to see if your city is listed on the world map on the home page. If it's not listed, you can put a team together yourself, but be sure to register on the Twestival homepage before the deadline.

The Web site is updated daily with new cities, as volunteer teams are constantly evolving. If you click your city on the map, it will reveal direct links to the blog, Twitter account and details about a city’s selected cause. Then you're just a Tweet away from making big change happen -- and fast.

Photos courtesy of gusf and dccrowley via Flickr.