It has recently been announced that BTS and their fanbase, ARMY have been selected by the Korean Association for Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals for the United Nation’s “Global Sustainable 100” Award.
The Sustainable Development Goals is a new summit in which a discussion is held about ending poverty, fighting inequalities & tackling climate change and while many may question why BTS and their fans have landed the top ranking, it really isn’t that hard to understand why/
BTS topped the ‘Top Rank Global Sustainable Future Leaders’ category due to their efforts with their Love Myself campaign in association with the UN. The campaign aims to raise awareness of violence toward children and teens around the world and campaign to give these young people a better chance at life. Since the campaigns beginning in November of 2017, BTS have accumulated over £1.6 million globally (as of 30th April 2019) and continue to champion this cause through donating portions of their album sales to the charity, exclusive merchandising and donations from fans and the group itself while also promoting the #ENDVIOLENCE campaign at their sold-out world tours. Not forgetting the incredible speech that the group (primarily RM as he led the speech) made at the UN in 2018 for the Generation Unlimited campaign about championing youth and giving hope for a brighter future that went viral due to the powerful message.
While BTS was nominated as Future Leaders, ARMYs topped the list as Top Rank Sustainable Global Group. ARMYs may sound like a confusing or obscure choice for this prestigious award, however, the sheer power of their projects cannot be ignored. BTS’ message has always been about raising awareness of social issues and spreading the message of love, whether it be self-love or love to others and ARMYs have taken these messages on board to the fullest. Since way back with their debut in 2013, ARMYs have been organising projects in the name of BTS and ARMYs to make donations to a variety of charities and places, even running a twitter account dedicated to the cause (@OneInAnARMY.) Examples range from donations to dog shelters, partnering with the Korea Food for the Hungry International, and a recent project has been organised to raise funds to plant trees in rainforests as a special birthday project for BTS leader RMs birthday in September. With years of fundraising under their belts for a ginormous number of causes, its no surprise that the ARMY has also landed at first place.
BTS and ARMYs have proven since 2013 that they are a driving force in spreading awareness for these crucial causes that affect people’s lives on a daily basis and are definitely incredibly fitting choices for Future Leaders and Global groups that are wanting to see an end to poverty, fighting inequalities & tackling climate change.
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