Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a fundraiser
    • ex. My friends and I organized a fundraiser to collect money for sick animals.
  2. crowdfunding
    • ex. The young artist started a crowdfunding campaign to support her art project.
  3. combat
    • ex. The government started a new program to combat air pollution in the city.
  4. benefit
    • ex. Eating fruits and vegetables every day can benefit your health.
  5. solvable
    • ex. The math problem seemed difficult at first, but it was solvable with practice.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Online celebrities around the world have started a $40 million fundraiser called #TeamWater. The goal is to help bring clean water to more people. It is led by popular YouTubers MrBeast and Mark Rober. They are using a crowdfunding campaign to help 2 million people get safe drinking water.

More than 2 billion people around the world still don’t have clean water. The YouTubers want to combat this problem by raising money for WaterAid, a group that builds clean water systems, such as solar wells and rainwater tanks. The money will benefit communities in Kenya, Colombia, and Bangladesh. WaterAid will build clean water systems in those communities. The group will also train local people to take care of the water systems. This way, people can get safe drinking water every day.

Many famous YouTubers, including Kai Cenat and Dude Perfect, have joined the campaign. Smaller social media celebrities are also helping. Some are making funny water-themed videos, while others are teaching people why clean water is important. According to MrBeast’s team, access to clean water is a solvable problem and can bring people together.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Clean Water

  • The goal of the fundraiser #TeamWater is to help people get safe drinking water. In your opinion, how helpful is the #TeamWater fundraiser? Discuss.
  • More than 2 billion people around the world still don’t have clean water. How does not having clean water affect people's lives (ex. they are not healthy)? Discuss.
  • If you could start a campaign for clean water, what would you do? Discuss.

Social Media Celebrities

  • Who is your favorite social media celebrity or YouTuber? Discuss.
  • What is your opinion of social media celebrities using their famous status to raise money for charities/fundraisers like #TeamWater? Discuss.
  • Imagine that you are a social media celebrity. What kind of content would you make? Discuss.