If I’m being truly honest with myself,
most days I feel a little sheepish about my job.
Kids I grew up with are now social workers, teachers, even medical doctors — all people with very difficult jobs. Their work directly affects the health of the communities they serve. I, on the other hand, frolic from city to city and people tell me how great I am.
But as lucky and sheltered as I am, I still try to do my part, as a musician, to work for change that I believe in. This doesn’t mean being preachy or self-important, but it does mean putting our foot behind good causes that could use a helping hand. On our latest tour, Arkells decided to use our unique platform for one of those causes: we teamed up with Plus One in support of the global health organization Partners In Health.
Like many good ideas, the concept behind Plus One is very simple — small acts can lead to real impacts. On our tour, Plus One took $1 from each concert ticket and donated it to a charity that is meaningful to the band. We had Plus One volunteers at every show spreading the message of collective impact and letting our fans know they already did a wonderful thing by buying a ticket. After shows, we got to meet the volunteers and many told us their stories of the impact of their volunteering and their personal connection to Plus One. Teaming up with Plus One made the tour a bit more meaningful by allowing our band to be a part of something a little bigger than ourselves.
That bigger something is global health.
While our music is usually focused on local politics and tales of woe, it’s important to not lose sight of how lucky we are to be living in Canada in 2015, and to lend a helping hand to our friends around the world, even if they’re 10,000 miles away. Partners in Health has a long history of helping to provide fundamental health interventions in areas hit by conflict, natural disasters, and economic inequality. By collaborating with sister organizations, as well as top medical and academic institutions, their approach is holistic. As it says in their mission statement: “At its root, our mission is both medical and moral. It is based on solidarity rather than charity alone.”
The experience of collaborating with Partners in Health and Plus One felt so unambiguously positive that we asked them if we could offer up a song for their cause. Yes it’s another small gesture but I’d like to think that a collection of little good deeds adds up to something meaningful. A tune called “Hey Kids” from our latest record High Noon seemed particularly appropriate. All proceeds from sales of Hey Kids will go to Partners In Health Canada.
At its core, “Hey Kids” is about empathy and health. I’ve always been interested in the burden of transgenerational trauma — how the negative experiences and mental health challenges of one generation is passed on to the next. Lyrically, the song jumps around a bit, but its true sentiment lays in the chorus: “Hey kids, you’re so precious. You’re just a boy like the rest of us.”
All of us are equal. Everyone is deserving of good health. It’s important to appreciate that life’s struggles are both real and relative, and to look out for those who need an extra hand the most.
My personal heroes are not rock bands
I was very lucky to be raised in a community rich with the spirit of collective impact. My mother is a high school special-ed teacher and my dad is a social worker. Family friend (and personal role model) Peter Rosenthal is a social justice lawyer who’s worked with The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and various First Nations groups to ensure they have a voice. Our friends in Detroit — the Fialka-Feldman’s, whom we affectionately refer to as our “American Cousins” — are advocates in the disability rights movement and community organizers in re-imagining a new Detroit. What fine company! I like to think their spirit and values have rubbed off on me and shaped the way I see the world.
On a local level, I’ve seen what a healthy, vibrant community looks like, and the opportunity is affords its people. Our friend Joe Dibenedetto directed the video at a local school in Hamilton. Seeing the youthful vigour of the kids in this video serves as a reminder that not everyone is afforded the same support systems and infrastructure. We’re all deserving of love and care.
I’ve already encouraged friends in bands to consider partnering with Plus One on their next tour and working with a charity they are passionate about. From our experience, fans will feel great knowing that an extra dollar is going to a worthy place.
Marika Shaw and her team at Plus One couldn’t have been more great to collaborate with. She has promised me that I’ll get to meet the formidable Dr. Jim Yong Kim — one of the founders of Partners In Health. I highly recommend you check out this Freakonomics Podcast to fully appreciate the tone and attitude that Partners In Health bring to conversations about global health.
Anyway, if you’ve got a buck to spare and dig the tune, know that all of the proceeds are going to a good place.
If you enjoyed reading this, please login and click “Recommend” below.
This will help to share the story with others.
To learn more head to pih.org, pihcanada.org, and plus1.org
Learn more about Arkells: www.arkellsmusic.com
Follow Cuepoint: Twitter | Facebook
