DoSomething Awards and Matrix Unite for Social Change

MODERN SALON Media was given the tremendous honor to participate in a DoSomething.org Boot Camp and VH1-televised Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles, a program that encourages and coaches under-25-year-olds who want to create social change.

DoSomething.org harnesses the awesome/contageous/exciting energy of teens and 20-somethings and unleashes it on causes they care about. Almost every week, DoSomething.org launches a new national campaign. The call to action is always something that has a real impact and doesn't require money, an adult or a car. Successful, member-driven DoSomething campaigns such as "Give a Spit," "Teens for Jeans," and "The Bully Project," focus on everything from cancer to low-income students and bullying, and offer young people the opportunity to lead in their lives and their communities.

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As DoSomething.org's mission is so closely aligned with Matrix's Chairs of Change program and mantra of Hair, Heart, Imagine, it only made sense that the two partner!

At the Boot Camp, nearly two hundred young DoSomething.org members came together for a full-day of classes to help them flesh out their mission statement, learn how to turn their ideas into action, how to recruit and manage volunteers, how to get their schools involved, apply for a grant, use social media for social good, finding corporate sponsors, creating an effective board, public speaking and how to tell their story.

Then, following the classes, attendees meet with adult "Speed Catchers" for lightning rounds of idea pitching and advice--think Speed Dating meets social change. At the end of the Speed Catching rounds, the three most compelling "pitchers" are awarded money to fund their ideas. This year, selected Matrix employees, stylists and MODERN's Alison Shipley and Anne Moratto to participate as Boot Camp Speed Catchers.

"Through the Matrix Chairs of Change program, we show the world the impact that hairdressers have on the people they touch every day, and as a result, on the world around them," says Colin Walsh, Matrix Senior Vice President and General Manager. "When it comes to young people, DoSomething.org mirrors our commitment and our passion for change. This partnership is a fun way to connect both groups--hairdressers and individuals under 25--to promote connection, mentorship and inspiration."