Gideon Yago, an MTV news reporter, and John Kerry. (Photo: Courtesy of MTV News) Gavel in the Future By Genet Berhane The Democratic National Convention is giving one lucky young person (between the ages 13 and 18) the chance to call to order the party's convention this summer in Boston. It's another contest, and the winner will be chosen from essays submitted on a topic: "How can teenagers use the political process to make their community a better place?" Entries for the contest, Gavel in the Future, must be submitted by May 28. The contest is named for the gavel (it looks like a double-sided hammer) used to signal the start of the convention. Over the summer, finalists will be announced and a winner will be selected. That person will be flown to Boston in July to kick off the Democratic National Convention. So if you're between the ages 13 and 18 and you have great ideas about how to improve your community through politics—get to it! Who knows? Maybe you'll be the one to "gavel in the future." Check out the DNC Web site for more information on how to enter.

MTV wants young people to make their voices heard, but not by singing louder in the shower. They want young people to take the microphone at this summer's political conventions, where a national audience will hear what's important to American youth. Through their "20 Million Loud" campaign, MTV has teamed up with the Republican and Democratic national committees. The campaign will offer two young people, one Republican and one Democrat, the opportunity of a lifetime—the chance to speak during prime time at their party's national convention.

It all starts with a pen and a piece of paper. The two young speakers (between ages 18-24) will be chosen based on essays written about an assigned topic. The essay topic for Democrats is about youth and politics: "Why should politics be important to youth and how can youth get more involved in the political process?" For Republicans, the subject is service: "Why is the President's call to community service important and how have you demonstrated it?"

Young people with something to say should check out their party's Web site (linked above) for information on how to enter. Finalists will have their essays posted online during the summer. You can vote on which essay should be read at the conventions this summer.

20 Million Loud

MTV launched "20 Million Loud" to draw out 20 million young voters for the general election in November. The campaign encourages youth to register to vote, educate themselves about the issues, and rock the vote!

Some people believe that politics are not important to American youth. The "20 Million Loud" campaign is out to prove that young people do care about what is going on in the world around them, and that the youth vote is an important one.

"This is a group of voters that can swing elections and must be taken seriously in 2004," said Dave Sirulnick, EVP, News and Production, MTV.

Close to 18 million young people cast their vote in the 2000 presidential election. As part of their "Choose or Lose 2004" campaign, MTV is working to get even more young people out to the polls this November. As part of this effort, the campaign has organized meet-ups in different cities across the country, on the first Tuesday of every month. Meet-ups are a chance for young people to organize, register, and discuss the issues and the candidates.

MTV has also invited the presidential candidates to sit down with Gideon Yago, an MTV News reporter, to answer questions submitted by young people. Senator John Kerry has already taken the music channel up on the offer, and answered questions ranging from his position on the war in Iraq to whether or not he was cool in school. President Bush has yet to respond to his invitation.

"The political and social environment of the past three years has created an amazingly active and informed group of young voters," says Van Toffler, MTV president. "The goal of 'Choose or Lose 2004' and '20 Million Loud' is to give this enormous pool of potential voters the tools they need to make informed choices, get involved in the political process, and become motivated to make the ultimate choice in our democracy."

Choose or Lose

MTV's "Choose or Lose" campaign first began in 1992, to educate young people about how politics works. In addition to getting young people out to vote, "Choose or Lose" encourages young people to speak out about issues important to them and candidates to address the concerns of American youth.