Think MTV
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- The correct title of this article is think MTV. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
| think MTV | |
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| Launched | 2005 |
| Owned by | MTV Networks (Viacom) |
| Website | think MTV |
think MTV, launched in 2005, is MTV's pro-social initiative. Whether it is a voting initiative like Choose or Lose, or annual campaigns like Fight For Your Rights, MTV has a long history of promoting activism in young people. Now, with think MTV, young people can get informed, connect to each other, express themselves and take action on the issues important to them, their community and their world. With the credo "Reflect. Decide. Do." think MTV, in partnership with almost 40 national and international organizations, enables young people to get involved in important domestic and international issues – such as education, sexual health, discrimination, the environment & natural disasters, politics, and global affairs – through long-form documentaries, public service announcements, news segments, think moments, a comprehensive website (think.mtv.com), emerging media platforms, speaking engagements, and grassroots activities, materials and issue guides.
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[edit] Pro-Social Campaigns
[edit] Break the Addiction
(BTA) Launching Earth Day 2006 (April 22nd), Break the Addiction is think MTV's year-long campaign to mobilize a new generation of everyday environmental activists. Aimed at ending global warming and over-consumption, Break the Addiction works with the largest environmental organizations in the country to encourage young people to commit to a 12-step recovery program to change their habits and, in turn, change their world.
[edit] Alternative Spring Break.
(ASB) For Spring Break 2006, think MTV created MTV's first-ever Alternative Spring Break. In partnership with United Way of America, think MTV issued a broad call-to-action asking young people to spend their spring break volunteering with think MTV in the Gulf Coast to help rebuild communities ruined by Hurricane Katrina, or to take an alternative spring break of their own.
[edit] think: Education.
In May 2005, think MTV and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation partnered to form think: Education - an ongoing campaign that utilizes all MTV platforms to inform and empower young people of the growing need to graduate high school prepared for work, college and citizenship. Other partners include the National Governor's Association, College Board, and the newly launched Stand-Up Campaign, and many others. In a national poll conducted with the National Governor’s Association, the “Ambition Gap” was exposed – that young people have a strong ambition to succeed and see education as the key to that success, but that less than 1/3 graduate high school prepared for work or college.
The think: Education website now lists the Think Over Top 10 – ten easy and accessible tips and resources about what young people can do to improve their – and their friends – chances to graduate high school prepared for work or college, including an opportunity to write MTV with their ideas. At relevant moments throughout the school year, the think “bug” appears on the screen with brief reminders to the audience about important dates in the school calendar, like standardized test testing dates, college application deadlines, or financial aid tips.
[edit] Think Over Your School
On September 2006, think: Education developed a 360-degree concept asking young people to "think over" creative ways they could improve their high school and their own education. think: Education worked with the New York City Department Education and New Visions in a 30-minute show that watched a team of young students at Bushwick High School Campus and the Academy for Urban Planning in Brooklyn, New York think over -aka creatively transform- the lunchroom of their school into multi-purpose creative learning and eating space for themselves and their fellow students. Launched at the end of the show, think: Education offered up to $10,000 to young people who wrote creative essays about how they would use that money to improve learning in their school. Other shows might include My Life Translated: College Dreams(May 2005) and the Notorious BG. (October 2005).
[edit] think: Sexual Health.
With think: Sexual Health, think MTV has built upon the Emmy Award-winning Fight for Your Rights: Protect Yourself campaign with a pro-social initiative on the topic young people care about most: their sexual health. In partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation, think: Sexual Health educates and empowers young people to make informed choices on the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, other STDs and unintended pregnancy. Other partners include the Network for Family Life Education (Sex, ETC.), the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, LIFEbeat, the American Red Cross and many others.
The think: Sexual Health site is one of the most in-depth, wide-ranging sexual health destinations on the Internet. Core site features include an interactive guide to sexual health, a database of testing facilities, breaking news on sexual health issues, a 24-hour message board,where MTV viewers can meet and discuss sexual-health-related issues in an ongoing dialogue, and easy ways for young people to get involved on the local level, from volunteer opportunities to information on how to become a peer educator.
think Sexual Health also brings the campaign to communities throughout the country. “It’s Your (Sex) Life: Your Guide To Safe & Responsible Sex” booklet, produced in partnership with Kaiser, is a guide informing young people about HIV/AIDS and other STDs, methods of birth control, and some of the most pressing issues surrounding sexuality. Nearly 500,000 copies of the guide have been distributed free of charge through the toll-free number, the website, and by Advocates for Youth, Rock the Vote and LIFEbeat at local events nationwide. On World AIDS Day 2004, the largest HDTV in the world located in Times Square – was dedicated to Protect Yourself by airing photos of young people fighting HIV/AIDS around the world.
Other initatives dedicated to the Sexual Health campaign includes groundbreaking programming. MTV examines every aspect of young people’s sexual health, from the basic facts to in-depth explorations of the complicated emotional issues.
[edit] think Moments.
During key moments in major franchise shows on MTV – such as The Real World, Made, Laguna Beach and True Life – a think "bug" appears on the screen to direct viewers to think.mtv.com for more information and ways to get involved on important issues raised in that show, like dealing with eating disorders, facing the death of a loved one, learning about post traumatic stress, or finding a mentor.
[edit] think.mtv.com
think.mtv.com serves as the vibrant hub for all things think MTV - with resources, features, news and action items that connect, and interconnect, to all think MTV initiatives, including a database of volunteer opportunities, important tips on getting into college, 12 easy steps to curb consumption, and a free downloadable sexual health guide.
