“If You Really Knew Me” on MTV sheds light on teen issues

MTV is changing the minds of young teenagers one school at a time with the new reality show, “If You Really Knew Me.” The show dives into the lives of average high school students across the nation and challenges them to change for the better.

“If You Really Knew Me” isn’t just about the jocks and the geeks, it is about stripping away the stereotypes that are placed on teens today and showing them the real personalities of their peers.

The premiere of the show opened with a visit to Freedom High School in Oakley, California. Freedom High School was considered the “kingdom of cliques” and something needed to be done. In episode 1, we meet students from all walks of life. We meet the ones that bully others and the ones being bullied. While meeting the student body of Freedom High School, we also meet three teens that face different adversaries in their day-to-day life; the jock, a former cutter, and a girl who often thought about committing suicide.

On the outside all of theses individuals seemed like they would have nothing in common, but once they were able to let go of their publics persona’s they were able to see that they were more alike than they thought.

The show gathered students from all different cliques to partake in, what the show calls, “Challenge Day.” Challenge Day is a one day event where students gather in a large auditorium and go through different exercises that allow them to put their egos  and express their true feelings. One challenge the students faced was an exercise called “crossing the line,” which gave students the chance to show others what they have been through and how they have felt. It showed everyone in that room that they were not alone.

After Challenge Day, the students are more aware of what changes need to be made to fight stereotypes and discrimination. MTV definitely hit the ball on this one. Without spoiling the entire season, check out the new episodes on MTV every Tuesday night at 11 p.m.

For more information, check out: http://www.mtv.com/shows/if_you_really_knew_me/series.jhtml