YouthMuse (YM) partners with museums, zoos, aquariums and cultural organizations that see the value of having a voice—beyond education—to make social change, and they understand that the audience primed to carry the message is youth. Learn more.

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News

• A new study by Mills College Professor Joe Kahne, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, finds that youth who use the Internet are more engaged citizens. Click here for more.
  
  
• Deb Kerr recently chaired a session at the 2012 AAM Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, MN on May 1: "Engaging Teens on Their Own (Virtual) Turf to Create Communities." Watch video highlights here and here. 
  
  
• According to a new Berkman Center study, the Internet has altered the information environment; it requires a new, holistic understanding of information quality. Youth not only evaluate information, but also search, create, and disseminate it. Click here for more. 
  
  
• Check out the NEW youth-driven Facebook page at the New York Aquarium—Project Ripple.  
  
  
• Comparing life goals, level of concern for others, and civic orientation of young adults from three generations. Click here for more.
  
  
• A new study from Pew Research Center shows that young adults are feeling the impact of the recession most acutely, yet they remain optimistic about the future. Click here for more.
  
  
• Blog post: Museums as Agents for Social Change Museums, zoos, aquariums, and other cultural organizations are powerful messengers for implementing positive social change. Trying to modify and change behavior is undoubtedly a challenge, but museums have the right ingredients to make it happen. Click here for more.

• Deb Kerr recently moderated a session at the 2011 AZA Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on September 17: "The Age of New Media: Engage Youth on Their Virtual Turf." Panelists gave insight on the youth campaigns at Seattle Aquarium and North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, and featured youth campaigner Anja Brandon-Drevitch shared her experiences. Watch video highlights here.

• From iPads to smartphones, technology is changing the museum experience. Click here for more.

• A new study shows 9 out of 10 Americans (88%) agree that digital technology can turn interest in a cause into a movement more quickly than anything else. Ready the summary here.

• Who's Using What Media and When? AdAge answers this question with an hour-by-hour look at media habits across generations. See the infographic here.
  

• Movie: Social Media Revolution 2011 demonstrates how social media has become a powerful force in today's society. The question is not whether we use it but how we use it.
  
  
• Blog post: Getting to know the Millennials, by Ronnette Hope
  In the wake of Egypt's rebellion, an activist tweeted, "We use Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate and YouTube to tell the world." It is hard to ignore the influence digital media has.... Click here for more.

• Blog post: Teens and Museums: the idea for YouthMuse, by Deb Kerr YouthMuse started through a confluence of factors. Factor one: I met Ian Abrams, one of the original architects of the Truth Campaign, the anti-smoking campaign aimed at teens, in January 2008. Click here for more.

• Check out the youth-driven Facebook page at the Seattle Aquarium—Puget Sound: We Love You. See photos.

• Check out the youth-driven Facebook page for the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher—Beach Reach: Bringing Beaches Back to Life, Pier to Pier and Peer to Peer.

 

Great Lakes Senior Advisor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Cameron Davis, talks with Deb Kerr at the White House Great Lakes Summit held in February. More than 50 Great Lakes experts gathered at the event to discuss issues facing the world's largest available freshwater supply. Deb represented youth-related issues.

Youth liaisons Ronnette Hope and Marc Deheeger interview Isaac Bear High School eco-club students at North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

At the invitation of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Deb represented youth at a two-day meeting at National Aquarium in Baltimore to discuss North American Marine Protected Areas. Here, Patricia Estrada-Morales, Acuario de Veracruz, Mexico, and Deb discuss the results.