|
Rocking the Village Vote
|
|
Fundraiser engages youth in activism and politics
|
| |
| By Tom G. Kernaghan |
| |
| |
“Pierced, Pissed off and Political!” reads the rallying
cry on Rockthevote.ca.
For this Village-grown nationwide fundraising organization, launching
and connecting campaigns to create awareness about local and
international issues is its main reason for being.
More specifically, its aim is to engage the hearts and minds of
young people, and call them to social and political action.
“A lot of cultural changes will be happening,” says 10-year Village
resident Zeke Zavier, who co-founded Rock the Vote with his son Adrian,
and Lubomyr Tomchuk. “I’m waiting for more protest songs. We haven’t
really hit our stride. It’s a very exciting time to be young.”
This past summer was an exciting time to part of Rock the Vote, as
the group supported Live 8 by offering T-shirts for donations, and
an online petition for those wishing to participate.
While the organization also works with local community-building
initiatives like Toronto Dollar, and 2 for 1 Dinner, Zavier wants
to shift the group’s focus to events more directly relevant to
young people.
“We’re morphing into music,” says Zavier, who believes music has
the power to rock complacency by inspiring youth on a large scale.
“We want to get the music to speak for itself. It can have a huge
impact.”
His own sons, Adrian and Max, are involved, and students from
Ursula Franklin Academy and Humberside Collegiate Institute
designed and maintain the website. Rock the Vote is also looking
for young reporters to cover stories. While he welcomes volunteers
of all ages, Zavier is seeking increased cooperation between young
people around the globe.
“Young people are the same all over the world,” says Zavier, who
was first exposed to activism while he was an Ontario College of
Art student in the late 1960s.
“Activism was experiencing a renaissance back then. It stayed with me.”
Since then, he has been involved in marketing, advertising, and
real estate, but a few years ago decided to take an unpaid leave
from business, and devote his time and attention to the causes
close to his own heart.
And one of these may result in a tattoo somewhere on Bono’s body.
Rock the Vote has signed a deal with TadAD, a company that brokers
logo tattoo deals between companies and people. Together they are
planning an online auction in which companies will bid for a logo
tattoo spot on Bono, with the proceeds going to the Irish rocker’s
Make Poverty History project.
Concerned also with national issues and perspectives, Zavier is
hoping to have Canadian musicians record and submit one-minute
videos in which they urge young people to get politically active.
And to further heighten the group’s Canadian profile, Zavier
invited Sophie Grégoire, eTalk Daily correspondent and wife of
Justin Trudeau, to join its board of directors.
Many have heard of Rock the Vote in the United States. Though
the two organizations focus on different issues, they do cooperate
as much as possible, as Zavier believes in working with our southern
neighbours.
“Pro-Canadian doesn’t mean anti-American,” stresses Zavier.
This October 18, Rock the Vote will support President Bill Clinton’s
launch of Professeurs pour la liberté (professors for freedom), a
project by The Canadian College of Business & Computers, which aims
to bring free computers and online education to African children and
students. Supported by Jean Crétien, and a host of Canadian politicians,
the event will take place at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
“This will be a massive transfer of knowledge and technology,” says
Zavier, “It’s a phenomenal project.”
What also seems phenomenal is the traffic on Rock the Vote’s website.
“Rock the Vote is the number one youth-oriented political website,”
says Zavier. “It can get as many as two million hits a month during
political campaigns.”
Though impressed by the number of youths committed to action and
change, he understands young people have other social priorities
as well.
“We want to make Rock the Vote more interactive,” explains Zavier,
referring to an online dating and meeting service he is considering
for politically minded young people. “It would be an interesting
dynamic. It would make for a different kind of political party.”
For me information, please see www.rockthevote.ca
(Your Village section – The Village Gleaner – October 2005)
|
