USC alumnus to speak about poverty


The Global Poverty Project will screen a movie at USC about extreme poverty and the role of activism in preventing such conditions on Friday in Taper Hall.

Actress Olivia Wilde will join Hugh Evans, the CEO of the Global Poverty Project and Bobby Bailey, the founder of Invisible Children, the creators of the movie 1.4 Billion Reasons — an interactive presentation about poverty worldwide.

“[The movie] is about 1.4 billions reasons to create awareness that there are 1.4 billion people living on $1.25 or less a day and that we can creatively use our gifts and talents to solve this problem,” said Devon Feldmeth, president of USC’s chapter of Invisible Children.

The presentation was developed by Evans and Bailey, a USC alumnus.

“What makes Bailey so unique is that he is a Trojan and he went to Africa to find a story,” Feldmeth said. “Now he is inspiring people to tell their story and leave a legacy.”

Wilde will attend the event to represent and promote her charity ,Young Artists for Peace and Justice.

The presentation emphasizes the importance of activism and the necessity of every person in order to eliminate worldwide poverty, Bailey said.

“The idea is to say that this is the first generation in human history that is treating poverty to be solved, rather than be navigated,” Bailey said. “Large bills won’t solve poverty; it’s going to require activism and the voice of the youth.”

Bailey defined activism as “the use of our own tools to solve the problems of society.”

Feldmeth stressed that the event provides a chance for USC students to become involved in an emerging movement in its early stages of development.

“This is an opportunity to be tied to this company that is going to be a hard-hitting dedicated force in the near future,” Feldmeth said.

The presentation highlights the progress that needs to be made, but at the same time underlines the progress that has already occurred, Bailey said.

“Between 1982 and 2005, extreme poverty was cut in half from 52 percent to 27 percent,” Bailey said. “Countries like South Korea were able to pull out of poverty through manufacturing and infrastructure, but poverty is still an intense fight.”

The goal of the presentation, Feldmeth said, is to reveal the severity of poverty to the audience members and instill in them confidence that they can help obliterate this global problem — or any other adversity facing society.

“We want the presentation to elicit a positive response that it is possible to change the world,” she said. “We can use our education to really shape how we fight injustices and poverty by finding creative ways to really tackle these issues so that they are not these impossible things to solve.”

Audrey Tyau, a sophomore majoring in accounting who plans on attending the presentation, said she wants to learn about poverty and share that knowledge with other students.

“I hope to gain deeper insight into how poverty is affecting the world and do my part to spread the word and tell other people how they can help,” Tyau said.

The presentation will be held on Friday at 7 p.m. in Taper Hall, room 101.