A after a day’s worth of organized (and not-so-organized) activity in downtown Portland, on Monday, April 25, there’s a party at Casco Bay Books. The celebration will herald the first local-release of Passenger Magazine, and is brought to us by Portland’s very own Angioplasty Media.
Passenger Magazine is a non-profit, Chicago based publication whose founders aspire to examine the purpose of the current college-aged generation, using their research as a platform to progress toward positive social change. Through networking, Passenger looks to bridge college campuses across the country, and from there utilize the sway power within the political and social role of the student; to rekindle a flame society saw burning bright in the 1960’s and 70’s.
” ‘Millenials,’ ‘Generation Y,’ ‘Apathetic/MTV Generation’ either missed the mark or didn’t really say much of anything at all. [Passenger] started simply as a way to explore what it meant to be a young person today,” said founder Nathaniel Whittemore. “It’s about how we view ourselves in relation to bigger pictures, what it is we’re doing to become involved and influential in the fields of our interest.”
Both Passenger and Angioplasty express their awareness of this generation’s political and cultural diversity, and seek to use this diversity to their advantage. “Progressive social groups that have flourished in the past could have perpetuated their individual successes if only they worked together,” said Angioplasty Media co-founder Alex Steed.
Recently, Angioplasty fused with Passenger, as each group recognized their common political and philosophical tenets, at the same time acknowledging the benefits of networking. “I thought that the marriage of the two projects made perfect sense,” Alex Steed said. “Angioplasty acts as the art and entertainment end of Passenger, while Passenger acts as the activist and political end of Angioplasty.”
A key focus of both Passenger and Angioplasty is international humanitarian aid work. Passenger is involved with a project this summer, which will send three students to travel from Bosnia to Rwanda. The students will stay with volunteers and social entrepreneurs, and contribute to social work throughout the trip. The project will be documented, and culminate with a conference on international volunteerism at Northwestern University, in November 2005.
This year will continue to be active for both media groups. Earlier this month, Passenger launched a 72-page color first issue. It is being supported at Northwestern by approximately six events that will take place over the course of the next month and a half. Around the country, teams from about twenty-five campuses are selling the magazine, recruiting writers and designers, and finding team members who will help plan collaborative events next fall.
At USM and in the Portland area, Angioplasty is planning a handful of events, the first of which is the Passenger release party on April 25. For the summer, a youth/community radio symposium is being planned, while a panel discussion on activism is in the works for the fall. In addition, the team at Angioplasty shared plans for a music festival and preparations for a winter ball next year.
The Passenger release party-complete with live music and scintillating conversation-starts at 7:30 p.m. at Casco Bay Books, 151 Middle St., Portland. For more information on how to get involved with Angioplasty Media and Passenger Magazine, visit online at www.angioplastymedia.com.