It’s fair to say that what we click on is a reflection on what we find interesting. And what we find interesting is a reflection on ourselves. Taking a look at the stories on GlobalCitizen.org that you, Global Citizens, clicked on the most paints a rosier picture of 2016 than what you have been reading in the news. Sure, lots of bad stuff happened. But a lot of really great stuff also happened.
Here’s a look back at which stories Global Citizens thought was the best.
1.) John Oliver Buys $15 Million of Medical Debt for $60,000 and Forgives it All, Because He Could
From the second John Oliver started his segment about debt buyers in the United States on this June 5 episode, everyone knew it was going to be a good one, but as regular viewers of “Last Week Tonight” know, nobody could guess how it would end.
Near the end of the segment, which provided a damning portrait of the debt buying industry, Oliver claimed that, “Any idiot can get into it, and I can prove that to you, because I’m an idiot and I started a debt buying company and it was disturbingly easy.” Read more.
2.) Adidas Shoes Made From Ocean Plastic Are Finally Here
Partnering with Parley for the Oceans, a non-profit committed to reducing plastic waste in the oceans, Adidas developed this subtle and soft-looking running shoe, with stitching that evokes the sea, earlier this year with 95% ocean plastic recovered from near the Maldives. And the shoe isn’t just a gimmick. It represents real change for the brand. Read more.
3.) Instead of Buying a Yacht, This Person Is Sending an Entire Kindergarten Class to College
Twenty-six kindergarten students at Rio Vista Elementary School in California had their educational futures guaranteed by a stranger. Marty Burbank and his wife, Seon, took money earmarked for a yacht and are pledging to fund two years of community college and two years at a California State University or the equivalent amount for a university of each student’s choice. Read more.
4.) Global Citizen Launches 15-Year Campaign to Mobilize Social Change in India
Global Citizen went to Mumbai, India, and celebrated amazing progress being made on campaigns to end open-defecation, give more girls access to education, ensure communities have clean drinking water, and more. Read more.
5.) Global Citizen Festival 2016 Lineup: Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and More
The fifth-annual Global Citizen Festival in New York City lived up to all the expectations set by previous festivals. A star-studded lineup including Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Demi Lovato, Metallica, and Major Lazer, with special guests Chris Martin, Usher, Eddie Vedder, Ellie Goulding, Yandel, and Cat Stevens joined 60,000 Global Citizens in Central Park in September. Read more.
6.) The 7 Biggest Challenges Facing Refugees and Immigrants in the US
You would think that the struggles faced by refugees would be over once they arrived in the land of the free, right? So do many of the refugees who arrive in the US. But refugees, and immigrants especially, are faced with many barriers once they arrive on our shores. Read more.
7.) This Is How New Yorkers React to the Sight of a Child Bride
It’s not every day you see a 12-year-old posing for wedding photos with a 65-year-old man in the middle of a city. New Yorkers walking through Times Square were in for a shock when they spotted a young girl in a wedding dress beside a man more than five times her age. Read more.
8.) Man, 60, Who Married Girl, 6, Says ‘She Was a Gift’
In Afghanistan, a 6-year-old girl was rescued after a horrific case of child marriage involving a man 54 years older than her. Sayed Mohammad Karim, now arrested and jailed, justified the marriage saying the girl was given to him by her parents as a gift as a religious offering. Read more.
9.) Women Prepare to Bare Breasts for Annual Go Topless Day
On Aug. 28, cities across the US saw women baring their breasts — for a good reason. It was Go Topless Day, where women bare their breasts in public to point out inequality in the law and in social mores. Some states in the US and countries around the world have outlawed women going topless, while it remains legal for men. Men often attend rallies, and don bras and swimsuit tops to help point out the inequity. Read more.
10.) 13 Amazing Coming of Age Traditions From Around the World
The transition from childhood to adulthood — the “coming of age” of boys who become young men and girls who become young women — is a significant stepping stone in everyone’s life. But the age at which this happens, and how a child celebrates their rite of passage into adolescence, depends entirely on where they live and what culture they grow up in. Read more.
11.) The World's 10 Hungriest Countries
There are over 870 million people in the world who are hungry right now. I'm not talking about 'could use a snack before lunch' hungry, not even 'didn’t have time for breakfast' hungry, but truly, continually, hungry. Of these 870 million people, it's been estimated by the World Food Programme that 98% live in developing countries, countries that perversely produce most of the world’s food stocks. So why is this the case? Read more.