Northbrook, IL. (Top40 Charts/ Big Machine Records) - The winter holiday season is one of the happiest times of the year, but sadly, it's one of the deadliest times for teen drivers. This holiday season, teens from across the country literally will be 'singing a different tune' in an unconventional approach to reducing the number of teen deaths caused by car crashes � the No. 1 killer of teens.
Keep the Drive � a teen-led smart driving movement funded by The Allstate Foundation � invites teens to participate in 'Holiday Holla,' a contest that challenges teens to rewrite and perform traditional holiday carols with new, catchy lyrics about smart driving. Participants will raise awareness about teen deaths associated with car crashes in the first online 'carol-aoke' contest of its kind. Teens also will have the opportunity to win $15,000 and meet and perform their song in front of platinum-selling country artist Taylor Swift. By rewriting songs such as 'I Have a Little Dreidel' (possible new version: 'I Have a Lovely Sable') or 'Deck the Halls' (possible new version: 'Deck the Streets'), teens will 'holla' about driving smart this holiday season. (Go to www.HolidayHolla.com for sample videos.)
'This contest is a fun and creative way to make teens and their parents aware of how dangerous the holiday season is for teen drivers," said Swift, who will help select the final winners during an event at the Mall of America on Dec. 8, 2007. 'Holiday Holla combines humor, music and witty-but-meaningful lyrics as a unique and effective way to encourage teens to step into the driver's seat and positively influence their peers.'
Teen Activism: A Continuing Trend
The contest's innovative approach may be just what teens need to get their peers and classmates to "tune in" to smart driving. Car crashes cause far more teen deaths each year in the U.S. than drugs, violence or suicide. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, an average of 16 teens die each day in crashes�nearly 6,000 a year�and 300,000 teens are injured in crashes annually, with Thanksgiving to New Year's Day as one of the deadliest timeframes.
'This is a serious issue that affects all teens,' said Jessica Mann, 17, a National Keep the Drive Crew member. 'Keep the Drive has created a cool way to help teens like me become activists and do my part in reducing the number of preventable car crashes this holiday season. I'm hoping teens all over the country will enter and spread the word about smart driving and maybe win some great prizes.'
Activism is a growing trend among teens. The Millennials or Generation Y is one of the most active generations when it comes to taking a stand on social issues, as indicated by the following:
� More high school students volunteer today (more than 65 percent) than ever before. According to a study by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement at the University of Maryland, teens/college students are one-third more likely to volunteer compared to older Americans.
� Since 2005, more than 1,125 teens have signed up to be part of Keep the Drive. As participants and activists, these teens have raised the profile of the teen driving movement year-round, from learning about the issue to creating school videos, serving as media spokespeople and engaging in street protests.
� According to a 2006 study by ThinkMTV, a new online activism community, 61 percent of youth (ages 12 to 24) believe it's important to be heard on issues that really matter and 82 percent are involved in supporting these issues. Seventy-five percent say what drives them is their desire to help others.
� YouthNoise's study of students in sixth through twelfth grade shows that 30 percent volunteer 80 or more hours per year, and 93 percent plan to continue volunteering as adults.
'Holiday Holla' Contest Details
Beginning Oct. 1, 2007, teens can create their own carols-for-a-cause using smart driving lyrics and well-known holiday songs such as 'Deck the Halls,' 'Oh Chanuka, Oh Chanuka,' 'Jingle Bells' and other classics listed on www.HolidayHolla.com. Then teens can videotape themselves performing their songs, upload the videos to www.HolidayHolla.com and encourage their friends to vote for their favorites. Teens can enter as individuals or in teams of up to three teens.
Entries are accepted through Oct. 31, 2007. Online voting for the top videos will take place Nov. 2 through Nov. 25, 2007. Members from the five teams whose videos get the most votes will win an expenses-paid trip to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., to participate in a finalist event on Dec. 8, 2007. At the event, the teen finalists will perform their songs onstage for a panel of teen judges, including Taylor Swift. The top winner/team will be recognized by Swift with $15,000; second place will win $3,000; and third place will win $1,500. Additionally, Swift will perform onstage after the winners are announced during the Mall of America's Holiday Music Festival at approximately 1 p.m. CST.
