Sports Fans To Use Twitter As A Platform For The ‘Pass For School’ Campaign

Sports fans have been compelled to share their old sports photographs through the use of hastag  #PassForSchool before the end of the day on 21 November 2014.

Nigerian Football  legend Jay-Jay Okocha teamed up with UEFA Europa League Global Partner Western Union to call on fans to go back to their school days and share their own childhood sports photos. This will automatically contribute a pass to the Western Union PASS initiative. In collaboration with UNICEF, the campaign converts every pass into funding for better secondary education for disadvantaged children around the world - and raises awareness for global education issues. 

All the photos, including those from Western Union ambassadors Okocha, Patrick Vieira and Tim Howard can be seen on www.wu-pass.org/passforschool.

Twitter could be reliable for this exercise because it gives everyone the power to consume, create and share ideas and information instantly, without barrier.

“The Western Union PASS initiative is a great cause and the #PassForSchool campaign is a fun way of allowing fans to be involved. But most importantly it highlights to everyone how the funds are supporting better education in Nigeria and around the world”, said Okocha, who moved from Nigeria to Germany to play for Borussia Neunkirchen at the age of 17.

“I have great memories of playing on the streets of Lagos and at school in Nigeria when I was growing up. Moving to Germany to pursue my career was a tough decision, but my parents always encouraged me and supported my decisions. When the opportunity came along, I didn’t hesitate. But not everyone has the chance to play football for a living so ensuring children have access to the best possible education is crucial. PASS can really make a difference.”

PASS has been turning every successful pass made during the Group and Knock Out Stages of the 2012/13 and 2013/14 UEFA Europa Leagues into better education for young people as part of the global payment service company’s commitment to deliver one million days of education during its three-year sponsorship of the competition.

“Moving money for better is at the heart of what we do and our focus on education is an important part of that,” explained Marc Audrit, Head of Brand, Western Union.  “The response from both the players and those within the game in general to PASS over the last two seasons has been extremely supportive, so this season we wanted to give fans the opportunity to start getting more involved and play their part.”

“For many fans, the old photos they have of themselves playing football or other sports during their school days are a very positive reminder of the opportunities they enjoyed through education. Sport is also at the heart of many communities around the world and we’re calling on fans of every sport to contribute a pass by sharing their photos from when they were young.”

PASS has already attracted some high profile support within the game. Patrick Vieira launched the initiative at the start of the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League and more recently travelled to Senegal, the country where he was born, with Western Union and UNICEF immediately after the 2014 UEFA Europa League Final in May. Western Union’s support is helping UNICEF’s work to deliver education programs around the world. Patrick had the opportunity to see how the funds donated to UNICEF through the PASS initiative will impact children’s lives and help them complete their education.  

Former Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos also met with students supported by UNICEF and the PASS initiative in Istanbul, Turkey, in February 2014. 

PASS is a key part of Western Union’s broader Education for Better program, launched at the UN General Assembly in September 2012, which includes philanthropic grants from the Western Union Foundation, advocacy, products/services, volunteer and marketing support for secondary and vocational education.

The Western Union Company  is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, The Western Union Company completed over 242 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $82 billion of principal between consumers, and 459 million business payments. 

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