MTV looks to UK teenage dramas for inspiration, remaking Skins and Inbetweeners for a US audience.

Cinema chain Vue Entertainment is launching a series of cut-price film screenings exclusively for teenagers to double teen cinema attendance, starting with Twilight and New Moon in advance of Eclipse being released.  Only £1.95!

Confessions from a science chatroom, from our mates at I’m A Scientist.

It has begun! From here:

“I’m a Scientist is a science dialogue event where school students talk to real scientists online for two weeks. It’s in the form of an X Factor style competition between scientists, who compete for a prize of £500.

For two weeks students read about the scientists’ work, ask them questions, and engage in live text chats with them. The students vote for the scientist they want to get the money. The scientists with the fewest votes are evicted until only one is left to be crowned the winner. The event is supported by carefully developed and tested resources which develop students’ skills and deepen their understanding.”

I’ll definitely be checking back throughout the two weeks if for nothing else than to read the great questions and answers that are already filling the site.

It’s run by the team that also put on I’m a Councillor (disclosure: I worked as a moderator on that project a number of years ago and it was amazing), so they’ve got loads of experience engaging young people with a topic (politics) that historically hasn’t been massively interesting to them.  And now it’s the turn of science.

For more, read their webby or their tweets.

The Guardian reported today on news that the Conservatives are using Spotify ads to appeal to a younger crowd (and hopefully not just because they’re exempt from the usual political advertising rules).  

The general vibe of the comments section is along the lines of, ”I’m going to leave Spotify”, “Well now I’ve got a reason to upgrade to ad-free” and “What’s Spotify?”.

So, for those who are using Spotify already (and who also read the Guardian, so pinch of salt), the news is being met with either,

a) hostility, or
b) confusion

If the Conservatives weren’t reaching out with new media they’d be criticised for being out of touch, and when they do they’re critcised anyway.  There’s probably a wider political point to make here, not least about the over-simplification of political messages, but maybe that’s an article for another day.

Personally I think political engagement with young people needs to start at the local, rather than national, level. 

To that end, the projects that companies like GalloManor are involved in (such as I’m A Councillor, Get Me Out of Here) have a very meaningful, deep impact on the young people (and politicians) who take part because it’s clearly about issues that directly affect them. 

It’s not just demanding answers to how the national government will tackle the pension deficit (although there is a bit of that), but it is more about how adults relate to and stereotype young people in communities, how to get the council to start more youth clubs and skate parks, and the realisation that despite being too young to vote, young people can have a meaningful voice in their town and that politicians are willing to listen to them and enact change.