I met Mikki Halpin when we were both working for the Oxygen Network's now defunct teen girl TV show Trackers. When Oxygen first started, the network had bold ideas and attracted some of the most creative, edgiest editorial talent out there. Suddenly a bunch of people who were known for their zines, cutting edge animation or stand-up comedy or activism were all working for this "big TV network." Mikki was definitely one of those people.

Mikki was editor in chief of the online magazine Stim; co-founded the classic 'zine Ben Is Dead; and has written for many publications, including Wired, BookForum, Studio Mix, The Independent, and BUST. She is also the author of The Geek Handbook: User Guide and Documentation for the Geek in Your Life.

Her latest project is a book designed to create a new generation of teen activists called It's Your World--If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teenagers. I recently interviewed Mikki about the book (read the extended entry)...It will make a great stocking stuffer for that teen in your life!

YP: What inspired you to write a book about teen activism now?

MH: More than 26% of the American population is under eighteen. The people who are teenagers now are going to elect the next 16 or so Presidents of the United States. They are going to change the world, in huge and in small ways. I wanted teenagers to realize how much power they have, and that they don't ! ! have to wait until they are eighteen or twenty-one or whatever to make a difference. They can make a difference right now.

YP: I think there is the perception that teens are apathetic consumers who only care about "The O.C.," shopping, talking on their cell phones, etc. There is a huge effort underway to just get them to vote. What makes you think teens want to become activists or that they care about the issues in your book?

MH: Human beings are complex. You can love "The O.C." and shopping and still care about the environment, for example. The flipside of the stereotype of a shallow teenager is the stereotype of the activist--someone who is living in a solar powered house and feeding orphans in Africa in his or her spare time. I think a lot of people find that stereotype intimidating (I know I do) and it can prevent them from becoming politically active.

What I try to do in the book is demystify activism. When you act on your beliefs and values, you are an activist. When you consider the greater good, you are an activist. Whether that means going to a protest, or telling your friends to stop calling each other "fag," or getting your parents to recycle--it's activism. And once teenagers (and people in general) realize that they can do these small things, then they are often on their way to becoming *more* active--to living a life of conscience, a value-based life.

I believe that if teenagers realize their power, and if they become active in their youth, then voting will become a non-issue. We, as a society, can't ignore people until they are eighteen, and then expect them to get excited about voting. But if young people have seen what they can do *before* they turn eighteen, if they know the power of their own voices, then they will not only choose to vote, they will be informed, passionate voters. Not only that, they will be informed, passionate citizens who participate in their lo! ! cal communities in whatever way they choose to.

I know that teenagers want to make a difference. I know this from my own experience working in teen media for many years, and the data (I love saying that) supports this. Research by the Ad Council for America says that 2 out of 3 teenagers want to do something to make a difference in this world, but 75% of them don't know how to do it. So I'm trying to give them a little jumpstart.

YP: How do you plan to market your book to teens?

MH: That's a good question. I wish I had a good answer! I would love it if I had tons of money and I could go to schools and talk to teenagers, or I could, I don't know, send out a mass Instant Message to the world and let them know it's out there. OK, maybe not the Instant Message, but still. But right now I'm just trying to talk to as many people as I can, and hopefully it will spread by word of mouth.

Posted by anastasia