NEWS Musikhjälpen is an annual radio show with the objective of raising money for charity. This year, the show broke a collection record - all broadcast from Umeå. According to Michele Cicchetti, Umeå Student Union and the initiative Umeå students for Musikhjälpen, Umeå students did extremely well in the fundraiser.
Musikhjälpen (Music Aid) is the Swedish version of the Dutch Serious Request radio and television campaign. The show is an appeal for money which each year helps a certain cause. The 2017 edition raised money on the theme “Children are not for sale”. The show was broadcast live on Swedish public service radio network Sveriges Radio and on public services television through SVT between 11–17 December from Rådhustorget in Umeå – for 144 hours non-stop. Money is raised for instance by people sending text messages requesting a song, through collection boxes and through auctions.
“My spontaneous reaction is that it went really well. Record even! SEK 74,410,363. That’s just amazing. And the group “Umeå students for Musikhjälpen” collection box itself passed SEK 100,000, which is the result of 1,122 small donations put together. All and all, students at Umeå University helped raise SEK 314,255, if counting all the collection boxes started by our student unions,” says Michele Cicchetti, Umeå Student Union and the initiative Umeå students for Musikhjälpen.
“Simply because Umeå is a city with such great and contagious commitment for good causes.”
“We’ve put a few weeks of intense work behind us. But it really was worth it. It’s been so much fun, and also incredibly educational and rewarding to plan and carry out our events together with Umeå Student Union, the Student Union of Science and Technology and the Umeå Medical Sciences Student Union.
“The best thing was being overwhelmed by all the enthusiasm and the commitment that so many students have shown this week.”
“The torchlight procession from the fountain by the MIT Building on campus to Town Hall on Friday. What a night!”
Text: Jonas Ericson, Translation: Anna Lawrence
Editor: Anna Lawrence