In the world of classical music, the Simon Bolivar National Youth Orchestra is unique. The musicians, kids mainly, are not graduates of some conservatory or music school - they're alumni of the school of hard knocks in the slums of Venezuela. Many of the kids come from neighborhoods which are so poor, desperate and crime-ridden, that hope is often extinguished in children at an early age.  Instead, these kids travel the world, playing to sell-out audiences. Essentially this is a social system that fights poverty. So, music actually becomes the vehicle for social change. Many international organizations recognize El Sistema as a unique program, worthy of being implemented in all the world’s nations, particularly in countries that are seeking to reduce the levels of poverty, illiteracy, and exclusion among young population. Its aim is to give vulnerable children the chance to learn skills that offer them a route out of poverty, keeping them away from drugs, violence and crime.