| MUMBAI:
Anchored from President Obama's official "Youth Inaugural Ball," MTV
and ServiceNation today announced "Be The Change: Live From The Inaugural,"
celebrating the massive youth voter turnout in the 2008 Presidential Election
and an active commitment from America's youth to impart social change through
volunteer service. The show will feature live remarks from newly inaugurated President
Obama as he addresses young people across the globe from the "Youth Inaugural
Ball," and calls on them to be the change and continue to engage in national
and community service. His remarks will be made available to MTV's around the
world, reaching a potential global youth audience of one billion people in 162
countries and 33 languages. Additionally, the program will air exclusive performances
by top recording artists live from the official "Youth Inaugural Ball,"
which will take place at the Hilton Washington in Washington DC. The show airs
on MTV in the United States on January 20, 2009 at 10 PM ET/ 7PM PT.
"MTV
is thrilled to celebrate not only the extraordinary number of young people who
participated in the 2008 presidential elections, but who are engaged in activism
efforts globally," said Stephen Friedman, General Manager of MTV. "This
generation is distinctly unique- they're not just witnessing this historic moment
- through their commitment to service and passionate spirit, they are the catalysts
we need to continue to drive our nation forward." "The
President-Elect has made his commitment to service a priority throughout his life,
during his campaign, and it will continue to be a priority in his Administration,"
said Emmett Beliveau, Executive Director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
"There is no better way to follow up the Inauguration's national campaign
for service, "Renew America Together," than having MTV anchor its coverage
from our Youth Inaugural Ball. We are truly pleased that MTV has chosen to highlight
the importance of service and is helping to bring that message to millions of
young people." In
addition to being made available to MTV channels globally, the special program
will premiere live across all MTV platforms in the United States including MTV,
MTV.com, MTV2, MTV Tr3s, mtvU, MTV Hits, MTV Jams and MTV Mobile January 20, 2009
at 10:00 pm ET, and will re-air immediately following. Hosted by MTV News' Sway
Calloway with reports from MTV News Correspondents Kim Stolz and Tim Kash and
MTV Tr3s VJ Carlos Santos, the program will include footage from service activities
around the country on Martin Luther King Day, in addition to showing young people
imparting change real-time through major service projects taking place in the
United States and in Kenya. Service
Projects to be Featured: Washington
D.C.
MTV and ServiceNation, in collaboration with CityYear, Heart of America
and D.C. Cares, will lead a group of 200 young volunteers in a makeover project
at Simon Elementary School in Washington D.C. The school, which serves approximately
322 children, is located in Ward 8, the Southern-most ward in Washington D.C.
76 percent of students at Simon Elementary come from low-income households, and
the High School drop-out rate for this community is over 50 percent. Research
shows the first step to getting a college degree is learning how to read by the
third grade. Thus, in real-time during "Be The Change: Live from the Inaugural,"
young volunteers will complete the school beautification project, including a
new library, and unveil their work. Target has partnered with ServiceNation and
MTV to support the volunteer activities at Simon Elementary School. During the
broadcast, MTV will also share the story of a young community volunteer who's
been inspired by the recent election to commit to service and change. New
Orleans
Three years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita rendered uninhabitable
all 27,000 homes in St. Bernard Parish, less than 50% of the population has returned.
Out of those homeowners who have returned, more than 1000 families are still living
in FEMA trailers. Youth volunteers with the St. Bernard Project, a community based
nonprofit in St. Bernard Parish that has rebuilt 166 homes to date, will work
around the clock to rebuild the home of the Albers family, who lost everything
to Hurricane Katrina. For the first time in three years, live during "Be
The Change: Live From The Inaugural," Robin Albers and her teenage daughter
will walk into their completed home with the encouragement of nearly 200 supporters.
Lihanda,
Kenya
Africa has the greatest proportion of people living in extreme poverty--
more than 40 percent or roughly 300 million people living on less than $1 a day.
With rural communities stuck in a poverty trap, they're unable to make the investments
in human capital and infrastructure required to achieve self-sustaining economic
growth. Millennium Promise, an organization co-founded by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, offers
a bold, holistic model for helping rural African communities lift themselves out
of extreme poverty by focusing on agriculture, health, education and infrastructure.
For
the inauguration special, MTV will work with Millennium Promise in Lihanda, Kenya
- roughly 20km from the western village of Nyangoma-Kogelo, where Obama's father
grew up and where his grandmother still lives. The region is one of the poorest
parts of Kenya, where chronic hunger and diseases like malaria are commonplace.
The show will follow a Columbia University student who volunteers with the Millennium
Villages Project as he helps build a computer lab at Omindo Primary School which
will give young Kenyans some of the tools they need to expand their education.
By using readily available technology and Internet connectivity, the computers
will also help an entire community end their isolation by bridging the digital
divide. This is done by improving healthcare records, providing educational materials,
creating business, banking and a host of other information services. Once completed,
the new lab will provide computers and Internet access to more than 500 students
at the school and to the 5,000 other members of the community. "President
Elect Obama has inspired our nation with his bold and visionary plan for national
and community service. Everyone involved with ServiceNation is committed to helping
the President-elect and bipartisan leaders in Congress pass new legislation to
launch this new era of service in which millions of Americans are provided the
opportunity to serve their communities and our country," said Alan Khazei,
CEO of Be the Change, Inc., a lead organizer of ServiceNation. "America is
always at its best when our citizens answer the call and unite in common cause."
The
official "Youth Inaugural Ball," is intended for young Americans aged
18-35 and will celebrate the inauguration of the new president and the role young
Americans can play to serve their communities. The PIC is handling all ticketing
requests. | 