Do you remember being in school and getting selected to participate in an awesome, one-of-a-kind program with incredibly cool people that you swore would be lifelong friends and incredible presenters with at least one that touched something inside of you that changed you somehow forever? Remember that feeling of being connected to something bigger than yourself that all of these other people were connected to as well? Do you recall how it expanded you, how it gave you hope? Step into nostalgia and bring up that feeling. Breathe it in. Yes, that's it.

That good feeling that you're feeling right now is exactly what we want to bring to each child who attends our Youth Media Symposium & Concert. You can gift 1 child with that amazing experience through a $30 donation to this event. Here are the details:

MDR is hosting a 500 student Youth Media Symposium and Concert with Youth Policy Institute Partner schools. Through this year’s theme, “Redefining Respect,” we seek to frame respect in terms of a human being’s value and positive contribution to her culture, community and society. Dominant media images paint a picture of respect as a status earned through violence, domination, gun play, sexual conquest, and territorialism.

Mother's Day Radio seeks to break the link between media violence and youth violence. We will do so by training youth to be critical thinkers, decision makers, consumers and creators of media.

Redefining Respect: Youth Media Symposium & Concert will target 500 disenfranchised youth across Southern Los Angeles, focusing on 25 middle and high schools. The symposium seeks to accomplish the following:

1. Provide media literacy education and media justice advocacy to Los Angeles County youth.

2. Increase access to socially responsible artists, musicians, entertainers, producers and media outlets whose art honors the humanity of women and youth in Los Angeles County.

3. Provide access to local colleges, clubs/organizations and civic programs for Los Angeles County families and schools.

4. Raise $10,000 minimum to support our Media Awareness Peer Mentor Program year round at Los Angeles middle and high schools.

Our symposium will include 15 breakout sessions covering topics including the psycho-sociological risks of overexposure to degrading media portrayals, hands on media production skills and real life stories of media industry professionals. We will host 25 vendors from local colleges, clubs/organizations and civic programs. Lunch will be provided and we will top the day off with a live music concert.

We want each of the 500 students to have someone's $30 (or more) donation make it possible for them to attend. Your financial support of this event will help us to secure speakers, artists, food, media education material, transportation, and really awesome take-aways to make this an incredible experience for these future leaders. Your sponsorship of this program will also help us expand our service learning initiative.

Through this initiative, we link college students as media awareness mentors with area high school students throughout the school year.

C'mon, give a student that wonderful feeling that her or his life has changed in an immense, profound and positive way. Thanks!