The presidential debate this week said it all. Our economy is still a mess. Our educational resources are even worse. Can either candidate fix all the problems? Probably not. That's why it is so exciting to see businesses step up to help be the change we need in America.
A perfect example of this is CMT (Country Music Television), a unit of Viacom Inc. "There are more than 3.7 million job openings in the U.S. and many of those remain open because applicants don't have the necessary skills," said Lucia Folk, Sr. Director of Public Affairs, CMT. "CMT saw an opportunity to create a campaign for our viewers that could narrow the skills gap and improve their quality of life by providing them with a simple, easy to use resource to help them map out their journey to an education and greater job opportunities."
CMT just launched CMT Empowering Education, a multi-faceted campaign which challenges their viewers to pursue post-secondary education through their new website -- a one-stop resource providing information on schools, career paths, motivation and financial resources. The goal of the site is to aid CMT viewers in overcoming the most commonly perceived obstacles to furthering education.
They have recruited a number of super star musicians such as Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley and Lionel Richie to motivate and inspire viewers and Empowering Education users. Carrie Underwood is sharing the great feeling she had at her graduation with her fans to encourage them to get there themselves. "Everyone should have that moment when they're proud of what they've accomplished," she says. Lionel Richie may not even have his band if it were not for college. "College was probably the best adventure ever in my life. Not only was it an opportunity to meet my lifetime, life-long friends forever, but I also met the Commodores on that campus," he says on CMT's Empowering Education website.
Share CMT Empowering Education with your friends, family and students today!
The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Creative Visions Foundation. Personal opinion of the author only.
Erin Levin is sponsored by Creative Visions Foundation, a publicly supported 501 (c)(3), which supports Creative activists who use the power of media and the arts to affect positive change in the world.