History of Up with People

About Us | Our Team | Media Information | Employment

Started in 1965 during a turbulent period in the United States, Up with People was founded by J. Blanton Belk as a positive voice for young people. Its historic path officially began in 1968 when it was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) as an international, educational non-profit entity.

Over the years, Up with People has become known as a tremendous force in international relations, education, and entertainment.  The organization's worldwide influence is far-reaching:

• Nearly 21,000 young men and women from more than 96 countries have come together in over 175 casts to deliver a common message of hope and goodwill to people around the world;

• Up with People has visited more than 4,000 communities in 42 countries; 

• Over 3 million hours of community service have been performed by Up with People students;  

• 500,000 host families around the world have welcomed Up with People students to their homes;  

• An estimated 22 million people worldwide have been directly impacted by Up with People.

Up with People's ability to both touch individuals and affect global change through music and service is unparalleled, as evidenced by the organization's historical highlights.

Historical Highlights

THE 1960’S

• 1965 - A group forms called Sing Out, performing the song Up with People in their traveling show

• 1965 - Sing Out’s Up with People was the first event at Jordan HS in Watts after the LA race riots 

• 1966 - Reader’s Digest founder Dewitt Wallace underwrites first nationwide tour

• 1967 - The cast of Sing Out performs at the World Expo in Montreal

• 1968 - Up with People is incorporated as a non-profit organization, through the encouragement of President Dwight Eisenhower and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer

• 1969 - Up with People is received by Pope Paul VI 

THE 1970’S

• 1971 - Cast performs with Bob Hope for President Nixon at the White House

• 1972 - Cast performs at the Munich Olympics after the tragic massacre of Israeli athletes

• 1973 - Up with People performs two sell-out shows at Carnegie Hall in New York City

• 1974 - Cast first visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland

• 1974 - Cast performs all summer at the World Expo-Spokane sponsored by General Electric

• 1975 - Cast first visit to Morocco and Yugoslavia

• 1975 - Up with People invited to facilitate Boston public school desegregation

• 1976 - Bicentennial tour of United States (771 cities, 3.9 million live attendance)

• 1976 - Cast performs in Super Bowl X in Miami, Florida

• 1976 - Cast first visit to Poland

• 1977 - Cast presents three Television Specials with Televisa, introduced by Anthony Quinn

• 1978 - Up with People is featured in the Kodak Centennial Tour

• 1978 - Cast first visit to People's Republic of China

• 1979 - King Juan Carlos of Spain meets cast in Madrid

THE 1980’S

• 1980 - Cast performs at Super Bowl XIV in Pasadena, California

• 1980 - General Electric Centennial Tour

• 1980 - Combined performance with Belgian National Symphony in Brussels 

• 1982 - Cast performs at Super Bowl XVI in Pontiac, Michigan

• 1982 - Cast performs all summer at the World Expo-Knoxville, TN

• 1982 - Cast performs all summer at Sea World-San Diego, CA

• 1983 - Up with People is received by Pope John Paul II in Rome

• 1983 - Five Up with People casts undertake General Motors 75th Anniversary Tour -
  96 plants in 56 cities on two continents

• 1984 - Invited by the King and Queen of Jordan to Amman, Jordan for the Jerash Festival

• 1985 - Cast returns to People's Republic of China

• 1985 - Casts perform the Honeywell International Corporate Tour - Multiple N.A. & European Cities

• 1986 - Cast performs at Super Bowl XX in New Orleans - Sponsored by NFL & Pizza Hut

• 1986 - Coca Cola Centennial Anniversary features a 17-city tour of Japan

• 1987 - Cast performs at Closing Ceremony of International Summer Special Olympics

• 1988 - Cast performs at World Expo in Brisbane, Australia  

• 1988 - Cast performs at Rugby Grand Finals half time show - National TV - Sponsored by Channel 7

• 1989 - Cast performs for US President George W. Bush's Inauguration in Washington DC

• 1989 - Cast visits to USSR and Jordan - Sponsored by the Jerash Festival

• 1989 - Cast undertakes McCormick Spice Corporate Tour. USA and Canada - 12 Cities

• 1989 - Cast performs all summer at De Efteling Theme Park, The Netherlands

THE 1990’S

• 1990 - Up with People's 25th Anniversary celebration in Denver, CO

• 1990 - Soviet students travel in UWP for the first time

• 1992 - Cast performs at Earth Summit in Brazil - Sponsored by Environmental Foundation - USA

• 1993 - Up with People relocates world headquarters to Denver, Colorado

• 1993 - Cast performs in Denver for Pope John Paul II and for US President Bill Clinton

• 1993 - Cast undertakes The Hershey Company Corporate 75th Anniversary Tour

• 1993 - UWP's urban school program, Project Pride, launched in Los Angeles, California. Sponsored
  by Los Angeles School System

• 1994 - Performance in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year - Sponsored by Hong Kong Government

• 1995 - Project Pride programs take place in Tucson, Denver and San Antonio - US Bank Sponsor

• 1996 - Cast performs at the Olympics in Atlanta and Disneyland in California - Sponsored by Disney

• 1997 - Cast tour of Japan and first study groups visit South Korea, Thailand and China. Sponsored by Toyota / IBM / Mckann Eriksson - Toyota becomes Japan Corporate Sponsor for 8 years.

• 1997 - Red Cross benefit in Switzerland and projects in Portugal

• 1998 - Affiliation with America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth 

• 1998 - Cast performs at World Expo in Portugal and for Scania in Sweden

• 1999 - Cast performs at Celebration of Peace with Colin Powell in Denver, Colorado

• 1999 - Corporate Sponsor ‘Chevrolet’ becomes North American Sponsor

• 1999 - Launching of the "Communities of Peace" program

• 1999 - Cast performs at International Red Cross event in Switzerland

THE 2000’S

• 2000 - Casts implement "Communities of Peace" in Boston, Denver, Omaha, San Antonio and other US cities

• 2000 - Cast performs at World Youth Day in Rome

• 2000 - Up with People holds 35th Anniversary in Orlando, Florida

• 2000 - Up with People suspends operations

• 2004 - Up with People launches new program model called WorldSmart

• 2005 - Up with People combines the original Up with People model with that of WorldSmart

• 2005 - Up with People alumni cast performs at World Expo in Nagoya and in Bangkok and
  Phuket for the Kings Foundation.

• 2006 - Cast A 2006 is the first to implement the new semester-long program 

• 2007 - Up with People launches new emerging countries program in Thailand and the Philippines - performing in Manila & Bangkok

• 2007 - Up with People makes second appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City

• 2007 - Up with People participates in The United Nations Culture of Peace Forum at the UN Headquarters in New York City

• 2008 - Up with People performs in the Opening Ceremony for the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA

• 2008 - Viva la Gente (Up with People in Spanish) once again returns to Mexico for a 5-week tour

• 2008 - Up with People completes second tour of the Philippines, visiting Manila & Subic Bay

• 2009 - Up with People helps Bermuda celebrate its 400th Anniversary with a month-long tour

• 2009 - Up with People visits Taiwan for the first time, with sold out performances in Taipei,
  Yuan Lin & Taichung

• 2009 - Viva la Gente (Up with People) returns to Mexico for a 7-city national tour

• 2009 - Up with People celebrates Vattenfall Corporate 100th Anniversary with a 12-city tour of Sweden, Poland, Germany, Denmark and Finland

THE 2010's

• 2010 - UWP returns to Manila, Philippines for intense, month-long service projects and exciting performances

•  … to be continued!

More impressive than where Up with People has been is the very real and sustainable change it has inspired across the globe through its contingent of alumni.  For over four decades, students who traveled in Up with People have gone on to become enthusiastic leaders in their hometowns, their countries and the world. Equipped with the life skills and broad perspectives learned "on the road," they have made a tremendous difference in a myriad of careers and through their life choices, have truly become global citizens.