Columbia College was buzzing with excitement on Thursday, Oct. 13, as Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana took over Studio A for the kickoff of the Reality Check campaign.Kasia Pilewicz, contestant from the 2011 season of America's Next Top Model, local Girl Scouts and industry experts wowed the studio audience with exciting facts and engaging conversation. Audience members, as well as people viewing the live stream on the Internet, asked questions and shared their viewpoints regarding reality TV and how it affects girls. Twitter fans and Facebook followers sounded off about the good, bad and ugly of reality TV.
Girls, what's your reality? Show us by entering our Reality Check video contest. Let us know what's going on out there, share your passions and challenges. Create your own video, and get a chance to win cool prizes like video gear, or a day of filming on a real TV set. Visit www.girlrealitycheck.com for more details.
And there's more! On Saturday, Oct. 22, we're having a FREE event for girls ages 13-17 at our Chicago Gathering Place, which is located at 20 S. Clark Street, Suite 200, Chicago, IL. Registration is required to ensure seating, click here to register. Film your own video for our contest on the spot, meet Kasia, have your photo taken by The MASH, the Chicago Tribune print and online newspaper created by and for teens and much more. Find out more about this free and exciting event. Slots are filling quickly, so register NOW!
Chicago Gathering Place just opened September 20th and celebrates 100 years of girls scouts.
Watch the LIVE Launch of The Reality Check Campaign Via Streaming Video on Oct. 13
ChiIL Mama will be in the audience and we'll have interviews and loads of updates on the Girl Scouts 100th year celebrations, Journey World and their newest Chicago digs. Tomorrow we'll be interviewing Maria Wynne, CEO, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana and Lisa Garrucho, Manager of Journey World.
Here's what the Girl Scouts have to say: If you or someone you know loves watching reality TV, join us for the LIVE launch of our Reality Check campaign and girl video contest by tuning in to the Internet this Thursday at 4 p.m. CST!
This groundbreakingcampaign about self-esteem, media literacy and today's technology helps girls understand how their own story is as important and exciting as those on reality TV. Girls will first learn some eye-opening statistics from a recent national survey, they'll be part of a discussion about what's real and what's not in reality TV and then get the scoop on how they can create their own videos about their own girl realities.
It's the perfect way for girls to use technology to tell their story!
Kasia, the "real-sized" model and recent top-five contestant on America's Next Top Model, will be on hand as Reality Check kicks off this Thursday.
Campaign Empowers Girls to Issue ‘Reality Check’ through Video
A recent national pulse survey reveals regular reality TV viewers differ dramatically from their non-viewing peers in their expectations for peer relationships, their overall self-image and their understanding of how the world works.
What: Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, the largest council in the nation, will launch an interactive video campaign to empower girls ages 13 – 17 to share the realities of their lives. The “Reality Check” campaign launches with a live, television studio discussion between a panel of experts and girls about the results of a national research survey on teens and reality TV.
The alarming research indicates that many girls ages 11 – 17 view reality TV and perceive it to be an accurate depiction of real life. Most also seek characters to whom they can personally relate and who they feel most resemble themselves. Simultaneously, the Girl Scoutswill announce” Reality Check,” a high-profile campaign that calls on girls – both Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scouts - to capture the “real” realities of their life on video.
Who: The Panel of Experts for the Live Discussion:
- Maria Wynne, CEO, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana
- America’s Next Top Model contestant & “fiercely real” model Kasia Pilewicz
- Girls (Girl Scouts and non Girl Scouts)
- Local experts, including Dr. Sharon Ross, associate chair, Television Department, Columbia College, will be available for expert commentary
Maria Wynne and Kasia Pilewicz will serve as the talk show hosts and ask girls questions relating to the research in a live, discussion-style format. The event will be an opportunity to obtain instant reactions about the research on girls and reality TV and hear the details of the video contest for girls.
About “Real to Me: Girls and Reality TV” Study
Reality TV has become staple entertainment for young people and adults alike. While many might view this phenomenon as relatively harmless, research shows significant differences between those girls who consume reality TV regularly and those who do not. Regular reality TV viewers differ dramatically from their non-viewing peers in their expectations for peer relationships, their overall self-image and their understanding of how the world works.
At the same time, reality TV serves as a learning tool and inspires young people to get involved in social causes. The Reality TV study, with more than 1,100 11- to 17-year-old girls around the country, explores the above findings and more.
Watch the streaming video of the event live on the Internet as we broadcast from Columbia College's television production studio!
It's easy! Just log on to girlrealitycheck.com Thursday, Oct. 13 at 4 p.m. Catch a look at the public service announcement for Reality Check below.
