News

Up With People coming to lift up Naperville this weekend

Posted March 11, 2010 10:00 pm

By Sara Hooker

Many people travel the world.

Fewer people travel the world with purpose, to immerse themselves in the culture while making a difference for others.

That's what international student group Up With People will strive to accomplish in Naperville this weekend.

Sponsored largely by RR Donnelly and Sons, the 90-member group representing 20 countries will be in town for a long weekend giving several uplifting performances. Additionally, they'll complete public service projects with residents.

"I feel I can actually make a difference as a person," said Up With People Performer Helene Magnus, 19, of Norway. "It's really nice and very powerful."

Magnus said many people in her country travel after high school. But she didn't want to just passively see the world.

"I wanted to really get to know the countries and the cultures," Magnus said. "I wanted to travel with a purpose."

Throughout the five-month world tour, Magnus and her fellow cast members will visit two dozen communities in the United States, Mexico and the Philippines.

Members travel by bus and stay with host families in each community.

In Naperville, members are helping out with the YMCA's after school program and putting together binders of school supplies for the children of Haiti as part of the ThinkGlobal Arts project.

Magnus has found herself fascinated with how similar yet different each member conducts normal day-to-day activities and how differently cultures communicate and feel about issues such as war, hunger and religion.

"Even though we are so different, we do all this together," she said. "Everybody is into working hard."

While in Naperville, the group will perform for students at Crone Middle School in Naperville and Kennedy Junior High School in Lisle.

Additionally, two public shows take place this weekend at North Central College's Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville. Performances are at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 13, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 14.

The show is a world medley with performances representing Asia, Japan, India, Europe and America and tunes including hip-hop, rap, hits from the '60s and '70s.

Tickets for the performances at North Central are $25 for adults, $15 seniors and $10 for students. Proceeds benefit Heritage YMCA, NCO Youth and Family Services, Kidz Kabaret and KidsMatter.

For information about the performances, call (630) 637-7469 or visit finearts.northcentralcollege.edu. For information about Up With People, visit upwithpeople.org.

If you go

What: Up With People performance

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, March 13; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 14

Where: North Central College's Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville

Cost: $25 for adults, $15 seniors, $10 for students

Info: (630) 637-7469 or <a href="http://finearts.northcentralcollege.edu" target="new">finearts.northcentralcollege.edu</a>

Article Comments

Article Categories
Communities Local Naperville Neighbor News

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.