YouthNoise (YN)

YN uses new information and communication technologies (ICTs) to catapult youth idealism into action for a wide range of social issues - from health to education, from violence to poverty. In short, YN is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian, nonprofit social networking site for young people who want to be a force for social change. It is a politically neutral global platform where youth can openly discuss issues and discover ways to make a difference in their communities around the world. YN represents a trend in technology: the vertical specialisation of social networks around specific interests, with 100% user-generated content.

Examples of specific sections of the platform illustrate specific communication strategies being used to engage youth. MyCauseIs is a place to join like-minded people in taking action for whatever cause(s) users are passionate about. MyCauseIs allows one to create personalised web pages, upload videos and photos, write blogs, invite friends, and add actions. Another segment of the site presents the question: "How do you want to change the world? In YouthNoise Projects, you can build your project from start to finish, whether it's a gay rights march, an environmental film festival or an after-school reading program. Use your project profile to recruit members, manage a budget, display media and promote the heck out of your cause." Organisers also encourage users to "jump into a discussion on the YN boards and debate everything from health care reform to religion." One can start a blog and/or participate in special blog-based events, such as YN's blog fundraiser launched in the aftermath of the January 12 2010 earthquake in Haiti: "Write a blog post about how you've taken action to help and YouthNoise will donate $1 to relief in Haiti for every post!" Various tools and resources are designed to help support youth activism. YN also has a Facebook and Twitter presence.

YN has also engaged in a partnership with Nike to create Play City, an online campaign based on the belief that sports have the power to energise individuals, revitalise communities, and catalyse change in the world. By joining Play City, athlete-activists create and/or follow blogs exploring sport for social good, learn about upcoming events, and find out how to take action. One can also participate in monthly "Just 1 Click" campaign, whereby a single click will generate a donation to a new organisation each month, such as CYCLE Kids, which uses health education and bicycling activities to teach long-term healthy habits to kids in 2 US cities - hopefully promoting good health, confidence, safety and environmental awareness.

YN has also created Youth Building Healthy Communities (YBHC). YBHC is a year-long programme that gives young people the chance to do their community organising to address critical health issues. YBHC partners with community-based organisations (CBOs) to support young leaders in three United States cities: Detroit, Michigan; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Oakland, California. Through YBHC, youth leaders build campaigns using digital media and on-the-ground activism to fight health disparities in their neighbourhoods in order to: push for better living environments; find solutions to addiction and gang violence; and advocate for safer sex, a commitment to fitness, more green spaces, good nutrition, and healthy lifestyles.

YBHC participants conduct research, analyse the root causes of local health disparities, and build both online and offline campaigns around key health issues of their choosing. To build effective campaigns for youth-selected issues, city teams develop tools, take actions, create media, and suggest policies. From YouTube videos to blog posts and from Facebook status updates to political action, YBHC youth use digital media to spread the word about the health issues they find important. YBHC provides resources, employment, mentoring, and training opportunities to empower young people to become key project organisers in their communities.

Youth.