Airs Sunday, February 4 at 8:30 p.m. on Nickelodeon
NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Grownups sometimes say that kids today
are apathetic, but is this true? Nick News with Linda Ellerbee presents
Rebels With A Cause!, airing Sunday, February 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on
Nickelodeon. The program showcases kids who aren't afraid to rock the boat
for causes they believe in. These are kids who have taken a stand, and are
willing to fight for change on issues such as child labor, the war in Iraq,
animal rights, and human rights violations.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070108/NYM273 )
"Kids are natural rebels, whether it's 1967 or 2007," Ellerbee said.
"There are kids out there who are committed to challenging that which they
believe needs challenging. They want to change the world. And they
understand that although they may not succeed, making the attempt
was-is-worth it."
Rebels With a Cause features:
* Fiona and Hanna live in Brattleboro, Vermont. The girls oppose the
exploitation of children in sweatshops. As one of them puts it, "Kids
younger than I am shouldn't be making my clothes." They decided to do
something about it, beginning with taking on their local school board
over where it buys school uniforms. This was their first taste of going
up against those in power in order to try to change the world around
them.
* Micah is 14. He lives in California, and although he isn't old enough to
vote, he's old enough to know his rights as an American, one of which is
to speak his mind. Micah believes the torture of people who are
suspected of terrorist connections is a crime in itself, and that his
government is wrong to participate in such practices. And he isn't
afraid to say so. Out loud-and in public. Micah has taken to the streets
wearing orange prison clothes and carrying a bullhorn. What Micah's
doing isn't making him popular, he still thinks it's the right thing to
do.
* Amina and Athena have taken on the state of Washington over the issue of
standardized testing, especially the new test the state says a student
must pass to graduate high school. The test, according to the girls,
isn't fair to minorities, and what's more, they say, it leads to
teachers teaching the test instead of the subject. They mean to change
the state law. And they just might.
* Blake lives in Chicago. His cause is animal rights, and his target is an
American tradition-the circus. Nick News followed Blake and his group as
they greeted circus-goers, plead with them-and were threatened by
police. Blake didn't win, but he did learn that he had a voice, and he
could use it.
* To be a rebel is to be different. It may make you unpopular. It may even
be dangerous. Long before the majority of Americans began to question
US involvement in Iraq, there was a kid named Ava in Alabama. A kid who
got death threats, Ava still didn't quit, throwing an anti-war party on
her birthday -- on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol. "It's natural
for young people to be rebellious just because it's in our nature-and
that way, we progress a little bit every generation."
In the words of Margaret Mead, "never doubt that a handful of committed
people can change the world." Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Boat-rocking isn't easy. Still these kids have stood up to the system, and
put their time and energy where their hearts are. They have made the world
listen. And a few have changed their world.
Nick News, which recently celebrated its 15th year anniversary, is the
longest-running kids' news show in television history, and has built its
reputation on the respectful and direct way it speaks to kids about the
important issues of the day. In 2005, it won the Emmy for Outstanding
Children's Programming for its show, From the Holocaust to the Sudan. In
1994, the entire series, Nick News, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's
Programming. In 1998, "What Are You Staring At?" a program about kids with
physical disabilities, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming.
In 2002, "Faces of Hope: The Kids of Afghanistan," won the Emmy for
Outstanding Children's Programming. In 2004, two Nick News Specials, "The
Courage to Live: Kids, South Africa and AIDS" and "There's No Place Like
Home," a special about homeless kids in America, were both nominated for
the Outstanding Children's Programming Emmy. In fact, Nick News has
received more than 20 Emmy nominations. Nick News, produced by Lucky Duck
Productions, is also the recipient of three Peabody Awards, including a
personal one given to Ellerbee for her coverage, for kids, of the President
Clinton investigation; two Columbia duPont Awards; and more than a dozen
Parents' Choice Awards.
Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand
for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in
everything it does. The company includes television programming and
production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer
products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films.
Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million
households and has been the number-one- rated basic cable network for more
than eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles,
characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
SOURCE Nickelodeon
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Related links:
http://www.nick.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070108/NYM273
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org AP PhotoExpress
Network: PRN20 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Joanna Roses, +1-212-846-7326; or Thamar
Romero, +1-212-846-7491
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