Subject: Press Release
Date: Friday, April 11, 2008 10:11 AM
From: Joanna Whitney
To: Scott Polley
Cc: Kaaren Whitney-Vernon
Conversation: Press Release
Celebrities and international community leaders inspire Canadian teens to make positive change
Motorola’s Raise Your Voice™ 4 Change tour to visit ten Canadian high schools this May
Toronto, Ontario, April 7, 2008 – The first ever Motorola Raise Your Voice™ 4 Change tour, in association with Direct Current Media’s 4REAL television series, Vervegirl and Fuel Magazines, is launching this May with the hopes of inspiring teens to take action and make positive social change happen in their own communities. Loaded with stories of celebrities and youth leaders from around the world who are making change happen as well as special guest appearances, the tour is designed to motivate teens to find their own voices and take action on social issues that matter to them.
A first of its kind, the school tour will visit 10 Canadian high schools between May 5th and May 16th in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton and showcase a series of 30-minute documentaries featuring celebrity guests on adventures around the world where they connect with young leaders who, under extreme circumstances, are affecting real change on some of the most pressing issues of our time. Celebrities featured include Cameron Diaz, Mos Def, Joaquin Phoenix, Eva Mendes, Casey Affleck, K’NAAN, M.I.A. and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In select schools, the celebrities and community leaders will also make special appearances and share first hand their experiences and their motivation to make social change.
The Motorola Raise Your Voice™ 4 Change tour is supported by Motorola and its Raise Your Voice™ youth empowerment program which encourages youth to speak up, whatever the circumstance and supports communities where youth can be heard.
“Raise Your Voice™ is Motorola’s commitment to helping Canada’s youth speak up and out about the things that matter most to them. This tour is an excellent way for us to help support teens and hopefully spark the creativity and compassion we know that Canadian teens possess,” says Colleen McClure, Director of Marketing, Motorola Canada.
“The 4REAL project has been a labour of love that has touched so many people around the world,” says Sol Guy, 4REAL host and Direct Current Media partner. “Through this amazing alliance with Motorola’s Raise Your Voice™ program and Vervegirl and FUEL, 4REAL is able to extend these inspiring stories directly to high school students. It’s all about getting Canadian youth inspired by young leaders in the global community.”
To help ignite action and extend the impact of the program to teens across the country, Motorola and Vervegirl.com are also launching Motorola’s Raise Your Voice™ 4 Change contest where students are invited to submit ideas about how they would make a difference in their local communities, in Canada or on a global scale. The contest is open to all Canadian teens between the ages of 14 and 18 and gives youth the chance to win a $1,000 RESP and an additional $1,000, which Motorola will donate to the Canadian charity of their choice. The winner will also have the chance to be profiled in Vervegirl magazine’s back to school issue.
The contest opens April 7th and will run until June 9, 2008. Teens can visit www.raiseyourvoice.ca/4change and enter the contest by submitting a vlog, blog, photo essay, written essay, collage, or video. One Grand Prize winner will be selected by a panel of judges from Raise Your Voice™, Vervegirl and 4REAL on June 30, 2008. Contest judges will also pick the top 10 submissions to feature on www.raiseyourvoice.ca/4Change www.raiseyourvoice.ca/4change , www.vervegirl.com, and www.4REAL.com.
“This exciting initiative gives us another opportunity to connect with Vervegirl and Fuel readers, exposing them to young Canadian heroes they can identify with and inspiring them to take action for positive change in their community,” says Kaaren Whitney-Vernon, president and CEO of Youth Culture.
Additional details about the Tour as well as contest submission information can be found at www.raiseyourvoice.ca/4change .
About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications. The company develops technologies, products and services that make mobile experiences possible. Our portfolio includes communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility solutions, digital set-tops, cable modems, mobile devices and Bluetooth accessories. Motorola is committed to delivering next generation communication solutions to people, businesses and governments. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $36.6 billion in 2007. For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit http://www.motorola.com.
About Raise Your Voice
Raise Your Voice™ is Motorola Canada’s commitment to helping Canadian youth be heard. Raise Your Voice™ encourages Canadian teens to speak up and speak out, to learn how to find their voice and talk about the issues that matter most to them. To help young people do this, Raise Your Voice™ partners with organizations throughout Canada that provide the resources and support to ensure that when young people speak up, someone is there to listen. Visit www.raiseyourvoice.ca for more information.
About 4REAL
4REAL is a series of half-hour episodes hosted by Sol Guy that takes celebrity guests on adventures around the world to connect with young leaders who, under extreme circumstances, are affecting real change on some of the most pressing issues of our time. Celebrity guests for Season One are Cameron Diaz, Mos Def, Joaquin Phoenix, Eva Mendes, Casey Affleck, K'NAAN, M.I.A. and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The shows take you on unique adventures with these celebrities, but ultimately it's the young leaders who emerge as the stars. 4REAL inspires viewers with stories of their courage, creativity and dedication to tackling issues such as poverty, environment, health, children's and indigenous rights, drugs and violence in their communities and beyond. Beyond the exposure that 4REAL provides, these young leaders are partners in the show, with 50 per cent of the show's profits going directly to their initiatives. 4REAL airs nationally on MTV in Canada starting April 14, 2008. In March 2008, 4REAL began airing globally on National Geographic Channels International (not including Canada, U.S., and U.K.) in 166 countries and 35 languages. 4REAL is created by Sol Guy and Josh Thome. Executive producers are Chris Haddock, Laura Lightbown and Joaquin Phoenix. 4REAL is produced by Vancouver-based Direct Current Media. 4REAL is a project that began as a documentary television series and has expanded to include an online global community (4REAL.com), educational materials (4REAL School), the 4REAL Foundation and special events. Visit and www.4REAL.com for more information
About Youth Culture
Youth Culture is a media company that communicates with the youth market – 9-24 years of age – online and in print, with websites, magazines, out of home events, in-store and in-school promotions. Youth Culture publishes five magazines with corresponding websites: Vervegirl (in English and French), www.vervegirl.com and vervegirl daily newsletter, Fuel (in English and French) www.fuelpowered.com, and B-zone www.bzone.ca. Magazines are distributed free to schools of all denominations, private and public across Canada.
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For more information please contact:
Cathy Kurzbock
(416) 413-4755
cathy.kurzbock@hillandknowlton.ca
Carly Suppa
(416) 413-4635
carly.suppa@hillandknowlton.ca