Hannah Montana and Raven and Paris Hilton too?!?! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From the LA Times, via Defamer:

Even tweens are hip to the importance of altruism. Last month, Variety launched a nonprofit initiative to highlight junior Hollywood's philanthropy and sponsored a Power of Youth event that drew [Dakota] Fanning, Miley Cyrus and Raven Symone.

"In Hollywood, there are bright, young kids who understand social issues like global warming," [Howard Bragman, founder of Fifteen Minutes PR, a Los Angeles public-relations firm that specializes in crisis management] says. "In Washington, there's a 60-year-old guy making fun of it."

"It's such an exciting time for youth culture," says [Scarlett] Johansson, who plans to take a trip with Oxfam every year. "I don't think we've seen such a surge in interest about what is happening in the world since the '60s."

As for [Paris] Hilton, there has been no word whether her jaunt to Rwanda will ever happen. The outing was originally planned by Playing for Good, a new charity organization geared to celebrities. Hilton's debut as a humanitarian was to be fodder for a new reality show called "The Philanthropist." Think "The Simple Life" meets "Ghandi."

"We're restructuring the organization, but we hope to reschedule Paris' trip for next year," says Maria Bravo, co-founder of Playing for Good. "I don't think she will stop going to clubs. But hopefully, she can combine doing good with fun and not drinking and driving."

Still, while it's easy to poke fun, strategic altruism is indeed both good PR and a way for the emerging generation of celebrities to find meaning in a life that can seem unreal.