SIR RICHARD BRANSON CALLS ON CANADIANS TO HELP STOP YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

• Hon. Carolyn Bennett, M.P., M.D. talks about her Motion to declare November 17 as National Youth Homelessness Awareness Day

• Virgin Mobile Canada unveils plan for change and new Common Cents™ donation program

TORONTO, Oct. 27 /CNW/ - Sir Richard Branson is calling on all Canadians to help stop youth homelessness across the country and support the RE*Generation Movement, which aims to raise awareness of youth homelessness in Canada.  The entrepreneur was joined today by the Hon. Carolyn Bennett, Vancouver indie rock band Mother Mother and Robert Blumenthal, President, Virgin Mobile Canada, to serve breakfast to youth at Eva's Phoenix, a Toronto youth shelter.  Together they announced details for the establishment of a National Youth Homelessness Awareness Day, the results of a new survey on awareness in Canada of youth homelessness, and an exciting new fundraising program from Virgin Mobile. 

"To have 65,000 homeless youth in Canada is simply unacceptable," says Branson, Founder, Virgin Group. "But even worse is that the research shows that 87% of Canadians are unaware of just how many homeless youth there are.  More needs to be done to educate and engage Canadians - and that's what our non-profit foundation, Virgin Unite and Virgin Mobile are on a mission to do with the RE*Generation Movement."

Let's make it official!

To give youth homelessness the attention it deserves, the Hon. Carolyn Bennett has put forward Motion 504 in Parliament. If passed, this motion will declare November 17 to be National Youth Homelessness Awareness Day.

"Joining forces with Virgin Mobile and Virgin Unite will make Canadians more aware of the fact that youth homelessness can and needs to be reduced," says Bennett. "By putting forth this motion, we are taking the first steps to draw attention to this problem as a national issue."

A plan for big change

The RE*Generation Movement is calling on Canadians who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people around them. Already, as part of an ongoing series of benefit concerts, Virgin Mobile has collaborated with Canadian indie rock band Mother Mother to play a RE*Generation benefit gig tonight at Toronto's Lee's Palace to help spread the word about why more needs to be done now. Today, Virgin Mobile also unveiled its own four point plan to take small steps for big change:

1. Raise Awareness: Virgin Mobile has launched the website 504nyhad.com to host its petition and collect signatures in support of Motion 504.  The site also provides information to help educate Canadians about the cause and what they can do to help.   In addition, Virgin Mobile will be hosting events in Toronto and Vancouver for National Youth Homelessness Awareness Day to help raise additional funds and awareness.
2. Raise Funds: Virgin Mobile today announced that it has raised more than $750,000 to date for Virgin Unite, in order to directly support young people.  To raise additional funds, Virgin Mobile is calling on Canadians to text REGEN to 30333 to donate $5.  To celebrate National Youth Homelessness Awareness Day, Virgin Mobile will match the first 10,000 text donations made between now and November 17, 2010!  Starting today, Virgin Mobile Members can also add a $1 RE*Generation Common Cents™ donation to their monthly bill to support the movement.
3. Encourage People to Volunteer: Canadians who want to lend a helping hand can head to 504nyhad.com to find out about some of the great charities working to help at risk and homeless youth across Canada who are looking for volunteers.  Virgin Mobile is also an ongoing supporter of Virgin Unite's mentorship program that gives youth the chance to learn about career opportunities from people within their industry of interest.  Since April, 2010, Virgin Mobile employees have given more than 300 hours to the program to help mentor at-risk youth.
4. Support Businesses that Support Youth: Where possible, Virgin Mobile is committed to the engagement of businesses that help to give youth a step up, such as Phoenix Printing, where Virgin Mobile's point-of-sale materials are printed. 

"Leading up to and including what we hope will become a federally recognized National Youth Homelessness Day this November 17, you'll see information in our stores, on our website, on our social networks and everywhere else you see Virgin Mobile," says Robert Blumenthal, President, Virgin Mobile Canada. "We're committed to spreading the word and engaging our employees and Members to do what they can to help.  Plus, from now until November 17, if you text REGEN to 30333 to donate $5, Virgin Mobile will match your donation!"

For more information about Virgin Unite and Virgin Mobile's RE*Generation Movement and to join the movement, visit 504nyhad.com. 

The need to know more

To find out more about how Canadians view youth homelessness, Virgin Mobile and Virgin Unite conducted a survey of more than 1,000 Canadians.  The results are shocking - and clearly show the need for a re-education of Canadians on the issue. A full 87% of Canadians don't have an understanding of the scope of the issue or that there are 65,000 homeless youth in Canada.  Some of the other stats include:

• Youth are the least informed… Canadians aged 18-34 have the lowest awareness of the challenges faced by their own generation.  Nine out of 10 don't have an understanding of the extent of the issue.
• They want to help… 79% of Canadians say that they would consider volunteering or would definitely volunteer their time to help prevent and stop youth homelessness if they knew where to channel their efforts.
• They just don't know how… Three out of five Canadians are unaware of any existing organizations and programs that assist homeless youth.

"The survey shows that not only are Canadians misinformed, they are unaware of how big the problem really is or what they can do," continues Blumenthal.  "More needs to be done to not only find solutions to the issue, but to educate Canadians about what youth homelessness is and why so many young people don't have a place to call home."

About Virgin Mobile Canada

Virgin Mobile Canada is Canada's #1 mobile youth company delivering the hottest phones on the hottest HSPA+ network.  Virgin Mobile Members also get access to must-see events, global roaming and award-winning customer service. J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study has awarded Virgin Mobile "Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Prepaid Wireless Service, Five Years in a Row"¹ and it has ranked Virgin Mobile "Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Postpaid Wireless Service"². 91% of customers would also recommend Virgin Mobile to a friend. 

The Virgin Mobile group of companies has attracted more than 15 million customers worldwide.  Virgin Mobile phones are available at more than 4,000 locations nationally including The Source, Virgin Mobile retail locations and additional retail partners. Virgin Mobile products can also be purchased online at www.virginmobile.ca or by calling 1-888-999-2321. Get personal with Virgin Mobile Canada on Facebook at facebook.com/virginmobilecan and Twitter at twitter.com/virginmobilecan.

About Virgin Unite

Virgin Unite is the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group. We unite people to tackle tough social and environmental problems in an entrepreneurial way. Our aim is to help revolutionize the way businesses, governments and the social sector work together - driving business as a force for good.  This is based on the belief that this is the only way we can tackle the scale and urgency of the challenges facing the world today. Virgin Unite's overheads are covered by Sir Richard Branson and the Virgin Group, meaning that 100% of additional donations received go direct to the frontline where they are needed most.  For more information please visit www.virginunite.com. Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/virginunite.  Join the movement on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Virgin-Unite

¹ J.D. Power and Associates 2005-2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Studies^SM. Study based on 15,207 total responses from consumers with prepaid wireless service, measuring 5 wireless service providers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in October 2009. www.jdpower.com

² J.D. Power and Associates 2005-2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Studies^SM. Study based on 15,207 total responses from consumers with postpaid wireless service, measuring 9 wireless service providers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in October 2009. www.jdpower.com

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