They’re obsessed with fashion, sex and reality TV. They’re Facebook-savvy, but functionally illiterate. They’re self-involved, shallow and utterly indifferent to anyone but themselves.
If that’s what you think you know about teenagers, then you really don’t know anything about them at all.
@issue 4 teens, a new current affairs series premiering in September on ichannel, takes a revealing look at what Canadian teenagers are really thinking and talking about today.
Produced by the team behind ichannel’s nightly current affairs flagship @issue, this new series will air Monday and Tuesday nights, starting Sept. 27 and 28, in @issue’s regular 8 pm and 11 pm ET time slot.
Hosted by award-winning journalist Kevin O’Keefe, the hour-long program will profile teenage activists, entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and will explore young people’s perspectives on subjects ranging from bullying to climate change and terrorism.
Rosemary Fusca, Head of Programming for ichannel, says: “Today’s teens are better informed, more aware and more engaged than perhaps any previous generation in history. They are passionately concerned about the world they will inherit, and powerfully determined to shape it for the better. Viewers are going to be surprised and fascinated by the depth of insight that these young people bring to a variety of national and international issues.”
Upcoming highlights: Week of Sept. 27
* “International Activists” – Monday, Sept. 27: They’ll go just about anywhere to make a difference. @issue 4 teens profiles young people who have traveled to Africa and India to work on development projects, and meets kids who are working to raise awareness about homelessness and the environment here in Canada.
* “Envirokids” – Tuesday, Sept. 28: At 14, Corrina Serda is the youngest person ever trained by Al Gore to deliver his acclaimed climate change workshop, An Inconvenient Truth. In this episode, Corrina explains how and why she became committed to fighting for the environment.
ichannel also puts the focus on youth in its new original series Teenzilla, airing Fridays, starting Oct. 1, at 7:30 pm ET. Helen Jones, founder of The Association of Parent Support Groups in Ontario, offers advice and guidance to parents who are struggling to deal with out-of-control teen behaviour, from drug addiction to gang violence.
