Jessi Cruickshank

What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

I am the type of person who likes to get a new record, listen to it, and if I like it, I’ll listen to it over and over and over and over and over again until I absolutely kill it. I’m really good at that. I did it with the new Adele, Beyonce, The Tallest Man on Earth and am currently in the process of killing Kanye and Jay Z’s Watch The Throne. In about 4 days I’ll never want to hear it again…

As for art, I have been lucky enough to experience some of the amazing art that LA has to offer- I was at the opening of the MOCA’s ‘Art in the Streets’ exhibit- showcasing pieces by the worlds best street artists and just checked out the Annenburg Space for Photography’s ‘Beauty Culture’ show, examining modern images of female beauty and their influence on our lives… made all the more fascinating being in a city like LA.

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

I believe that voting is not just a right, it’s a tremendous gift. In many countries people are still fighting and often dying for their right to cast a ballot, to have a say in how their country is run. In Canada, we are lucky enough to have that right and if you don't vote, its essentially saying you don’t care about what happens in your country. You don’t care about your taxes or tuition fees or environment or employment and marriage laws. The irony is, so many of those things directly affect young people. We are the ones who have the most to gain from voting and if we don’t, we are effectively letting another generation make decisions for us. You wouldn’t let your parents dress you, would you?

For you, is there a connection between art and democracy? What is it?

What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

I am the type of person who likes to get a new record, listen to it, and if I like it, I’ll listen to it over and over and over and over and over again until I absolutely kill it. I’m really good at that. I did it with the new Adele, Beyonce, The Tallest Man on Earth and am currently in the process of killing Kanye and Jay Z’s Watch The Throne. In about 4 days I’ll never want to hear it again…

As for art, I have been lucky enough to experience some of the amazing art that LA has to offer- I was at the opening of the MOCA’s ‘Art in the Streets’ exhibit- showcasing pieces by the worlds best street artists and just checked out the Annenburg Space for Photography’s ‘Beauty Culture’ show, examining modern images of female beauty and their influence on our lives… made all the more fascinating being in a city like LA.

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

I believe that voting is not just a right, it’s a tremendous gift. In many countries people are still fighting and often dying for their right to cast a ballot, to have a say in how their country is run. In Canada, we are lucky enough to have that right and if you don't vote, its essentially saying you don’t care about what happens in your country. You don’t care about your taxes or tuition fees or environment or employment and marriage laws. The irony is, so many of those things directly affect young people. We are the ones who have the most to gain from voting and if we don’t, we are effectively letting another generation make decisions for us. You wouldn’t let your parents dress you, would you?

For you, is there a connection between art and democracy? What is it?

What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

I am the type of person who likes to get a new record, listen to it, and if I like it, I’ll listen to it over and over and over and over and over again until I absolutely kill it. I’m really good at that. I did it with the new Adele, Beyonce, The Tallest Man on Earth and am currently in the process of killing Kanye and Jay Z’s Watch The Throne. In about 4 days I’ll never want to hear it again…

As for art, I have been lucky enough to experience some of the amazing art that LA has to offer- I was at the opening of the MOCA’s ‘Art in the Streets’ exhibit- showcasing pieces by the worlds best street artists and just checked out the Annenburg Space for Photography’s ‘Beauty Culture’ show, examining modern images of female beauty and their influence on our lives… made all the more fascinating being in a city like LA.

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

I believe that voting is not just a right, it’s a tremendous gift. In many countries people are still fighting and often dying for their right to cast a ballot, to have a say in how their country is run. In Canada, we are lucky enough to have that right and if you don't vote, its essentially saying you don’t care about what happens in your country. You don’t care about your taxes or tuition fees or environment or employment and marriage laws. The irony is, so many of those things directly affect young people. We are the ones who have the most to gain from voting and if we don’t, we are effectively letting another generation make decisions for us. You wouldn’t let your parents dress you, would you?

For you, is there a connection between art and democracy? What is it?

Absolutely. I think Art is an amazing tool to validate our personal experiences and see them as shared experiences… with the artist and the community around us. It can also be a way to help us see the world through others’ entirely different experiences of it. When we see a play, a film, an art exhibit, read a novel, we see the world through someone else’s eyes, which can move us to empathize with people who are different from ourselves. That empathy is essential for any democratic society.

Why do you care about your community, when it is so easy not to?

My views on my community shifted dramatically after a trip to Kenya as an ambassador for Free the Children. For 10 days, I lived with a traditional Massai family in a traditional Massai Mudhut with twigs for beds, fire for cooking and zero electricity or running water. I was so worried that I would feel completely and utterly foreign, guilty, out of place, but as soon as I arrived the entire rural Kenyan community lined up to welcome me into their homes, their lives, their world. This was a place like none I had ever experienced before- truly a community united in supporting their families, raising their children, welcoming their strange redheaded guests. I had never seen such an outpouring of love or of kindness from an entire community and upon my return to Canada, I started to see mine differently. I began to realize that my wellbeing is inherently based upon the wellbeing of those around me, be it my friends, my family, the neighbor I have never actually talked to. Their happiness and success directly affects mine, so it is my duty as a citizen to protect and support them as well as myself.

What do you look for in a politician? What do you expect from your Member of Parliament?

I look for someone who has similar values to mine- who believes in the things that I think are important for me personally and for the community and country I live in. I expect my Member of Parliament to represent and stand up for those values in the face of adversity and to be accessible to me if I have thoughts, concerns or questions… when I vote someone into power, I earn the power to be involved in their leadership.

What causes do you actively support?

I am an ambassador for Free The Children- the worlds largest youth-funded non-profit organization which supports education and sustainability in the developing world.
Find out how you can get involved:
www.freethechildren.com
www.metowe.com

I also just released my third signature T-Shirt for Me to We style with proceeds going towards Free the Children. Inspired by my trip to Kenya, my newly launched ‘Africa T’ is an eco friendly, sustainable way to change the world and look good doing it.
Get yours here:
www.metowestyle.com

A lot of people don’t know this about me but before working at MTV I taught a Drama Program for people with Special Needs. In fact, I have just started teaching a similar Special Needs program here in LA. As a result, anyone who knows me, knows that I am passionate about abolishing the use of the word “retarded” as slang for “stupid” or “bad”. It is hurtful and degrading and as a young generation, we are so much smarter and more empathetic than that.
‘Glee’ did a great PSA:
http://www.youtube.com

What are one or two simple actions you recommend youth take to make a difference?

First and foremost, you are lucky enough to have the right to vote, take it. Seize the opportunity to have a voice in your community and a say over your future. Second, know that even as a young person, you have the power to change the world. Find an issue that is important to you, be it the environment, animal rights, poverty, war, education etc. Then find something that you are passionate about, be it fashion, cooking, art, drama, computers etc. Be creative and think of a way you can use your passion to create change in the world. For me, I always loved fashion, and by auctioning off some of my favorite designer dresses and designing and selling T-Shirts, I have been able to raise tens of thousands of dollars for education in the developing world. You have the power to create change on this planet, in your home, your community, your world. Seize it.