The Body Shop Mobilizes Young People to Vote in 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections

• As part of its global Be Seen. Be Heard. campaign, The Body Shop is removing barriers for first-time voters in the U.S. through education and access.
• $1 from each sale of the brand's new 'Flex Your Power' pack will benefit civics education organization Generation Citizen.
• To help spread the word, The Body Shop is rallying Be Heard ambassadors across North America.

NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This International Youth Day, The Body Shop U.S. announces bold action to drive youth voter engagement and registration across the country, ahead of the midterm elections this November.

Starting today, visitors to The Body Shop's U.S. stores and website can learn about the importance of voting in this year's elections, check their current registration status and register to vote through the brand's virtual voting hub, made possible by Impactree and TurboVote.

This effort is an extension of Be Seen. Be Heard, the global campaign from The Body Shop and the United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth focused on amplifying youth perspectives and representation in public life in more than 75 countries. The campaign was launched at the UN headquarters in May in conjunction with the extensive joint report Be Seen Be Heard: Understanding young people's political participation, which demonstrated a significant appetite for sweeping political reform from youth around across the United States and around the globe.

Young voters in the U.S. typically participate in elections at rates of 20 to 30 percent lower than older voters and routinely face structural barriers to doing so, including complicated rules about absentee voting, state-by-state ambiguities and lack of civic education.

"The Body Shop believes that youth need a seat at the table where important decisions are being made, especially rulings that directly affect them," said Hilary Lloyd, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility for The Body Shop North America. "Over the last few years, we have been deeply inspired by how young people have flexed their political voice through direct protesting, lobbying their representatives and advocating for causes online. Now, we're proud to help amplify their voices at the ballot box."

The Body Shop U.S. is partnering with Generation Citizen, a national nonpartisan organization that equips and inspires young people to exercise their civic power, to educate and motivate young people to engage in the democratic process in this year's midterm elections and beyond.

The retailer also is launching a 'Flex Your Power Pack' made up of its skincare and body care products to encourage young activists to practice self-care and give them the confidence they need make their voice heard. The pack includes travel-size versions of the brand's bestsellers including Ginger Shampoo, Tea Tree Oil, Hemp Hand Cream and Shea Body Butter. For every pack sold, The Body Shop will donate $1 up to $25,000 to Generation Citizen to support the organization's vital work in civics education.

"We're excited to partner with The Body Shop to ensure that the most diverse generation in American history can make their voice heard and exercise the most fundamental American right, which is the right to vote," said Elizabeth Clay Roy, CEO of Generation Citizen. "Through this campaign, we hope to not only provide young people with the tools to engage in our democracy, but also to help them feel eager and empowered to do so."

To spread the word about Be Seen. Be Heard, The Body Shop is rallying 'Be Heard' ambassadors across North America who prove to their communities that you are never too young to make a difference. The list of changemakers involved include reproductive rights activist Deja Foxx, equity and climate justice organizer Larissa Crawford, sustainability and low-impact lifestyle champion Karishma Porwal, education equity advocate Marley Dias and UNICEF ambassador and actress Saara Chaudry.

Additionally, from August 12-14, 2022, The Body Shop will be sponsoring and exhibiting at the Women's Convention Event in Houston, Texas, hosted by Women's March. The conference will act as a place for women and allies to engage on issues of civic participation and bring thousands of activists together to works towards social change as it relates to reproductive healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental justice, racial justice and more. The Body Shop will be in the Social Justice City, an exhibition hall packed with feminist vendors, community groups, interactive art spaces and more. Visitors to the booth can learn more about the campaign, register to vote and check their voter registration.

For more information about The Body Shop's Be Seen. Be Heard. campaign, please visit: https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-us/about-us/activism/be-seen-be-heard/a/a00072

As a B Corp business, The Body Shop is committed to ambitious social and environmental targets. Earlier this year, it established a Youth Collective to help amplify youth voices within its own business. The Body Shop Youth Collective is formed of 10-12 people from inside and outside the business, all aged under 30. They will advise The Body Shop Executive Leadership Team with the views and voices of young people.

The Body Shop invests heavily in activism and has a dedicated activism team, focused on research and tactics, operating around the world. Long before activism was an industry buzzword, The Body Shop has pushed for change where other brands saw risks. It has mobilized its global collective and campaigned for over 20 years on issues such as the rights of indigenous peoples, animal rights, sex trafficking and the burning of the Amazon rainforest.

For more information follow @thebodyshopnorthamerica on Instagram or visit, thebodyshop.com.

Generation Citizen (GC) works to ensure that every student in the United States receives an effective action civics education, which provides them with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in our democracy as active citizens. For more information follow @generationcitizen on Instagram or visit, generationcitizen.org.

Impactree is a purpose-driven engagement platform that empowers organizations to build and measure meaningful impact, making it easy to engage communities and drive collective action on key social and environmental causes. Impactree's user-friendly platform and tech-enabled solutions unlock the power of purpose so people and organizations can discover, share, and support meaningful action that drives positive change in the world. For more information, visit impactree.com or contact [email protected].

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SOURCE The Body Shop