Falling Whistles co-founder Sean Carasso, a young and influential social entrepreneur and activist, will present Carleton College’s weekly convocation on Friday, May 9 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Entitled “The Power of the Individual: Youth Movements and Social Change," Carasso’s presentation will focus on the growing success of Falling Whistles, a global peace campaign designed to help the victims of the Congo war. This event is free and open to the public. Convocations are also streamed live and can be viewed online at go.carleton.edu/convo/.
Falling Whistles was founded with the mission to end the Congo War, considered to be one of the deadliest of our time, by building a global coalition to demand peace and investment in Congolese visionaries. The organization has a three-prong approach: building a coalition of advocates and activists in cities around the world to rally the world around peace in Congo; to invest in Congolese entrepreneurs working to solve the most challenging issues of their time; and by advocating at the highest levels of government to promote justice, accountability, and transparency in Africa’s Great Lakes region.
Carasso, the barely-30 social entrepreneur, freedom fighter, industry innovator, and humanitarian, has spent the last four years working tirelessly towards a goal most call impossible. In 2008 he went into the Democratic Republic of Congo where he learned of children sent to the frontlines of war, too small to carry weapons and armed with only a whistle. That night he wrote a brief journal entry, "Falling Whistles,” later forwarding the journal to friends and family who immediately asked, “What can we do?”
The Falling Whistles campaign was born with a simple response: make their weapon your voice and be a whistleblower for peace. Carasso’s non-profit organization sells whistles for $34 to $104 to raise money for education, advocacy, and the rehabilitation of war-effected people in Congo. By wearing the whistles, supporters are encouraged to use them as a tool for protest and to raise awareness of the situation in Congo.
Out of a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, Falling Whistles invests in eight Congolese whistleblowers rebuilding their country, and is building a global coalition for peace. Today, that coalition is over 50,000 strong. Carasso was featured in Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30 in Law & Policy” and has been selected by the White House as a Next Generation Leader. He also co-authored Baptism of Liberty, a strategic brief endorsed by eight advocacy organizations, 35 Congressmen, and 16 senators, which led to a global call to action by 77 international organizations and 24,000 citizens.
For more information about Carasso and Falling Whistles, visit www.fallingwhistles.com.
For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, contact the Carleton College Office of College Relations at (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located on First Street between College and Winona Streets in Northfield.
