Just over a quarter of Mexico’s 127.5 million people are aged 18-24, and as such the “youth vote” could easily make or break any candidate in Mexico’s upcoming election on July 2. Patterned after the “Rock the Vote” campaign in the USA, Tu Rock Es Votar is running a television, radio and web campaign that hopes to improve voter turnout in the Mexican youth population despite a general desencantado (“disenchanted”) attitude found amongst all eligible voters.

Tu Rock Es Votar, a.k.a. TREV, continues its efforts to rally Mexico’s youth to get out and vote come election day. It’s something of an unspoken secret that TREV’s organizers tend to lean to the left, but they strive to make the ads non-partisan.

Armando David Ortigosa decided that something needed to be done to motivate the young people of Mexico to participate in its presidential election. He looked north for inspiration, where the “Rock the Vote” campaign used pop stars to try and get young voters to the polls. The Mexican equivalent became known as Tu Rock Es Votar.

Could it be that the “Tu Rock es Votar” campaign resulted in a closer Mexican 2006 election, one that ironically left the youth feeling more disillusioned than ever? Felipe Calderón Hinojosa edged out Andrés Manuel López Obrador by such a thin margin that the losing side demanded a total recount, which was not granted. The ensuing cloud surrounding the election left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Mexicans.

Meet Elisa and her kids from Monterrey, Mexico, who visit a street market in search of a costume to attend a Harry Potter-themed party.

Viviana really enjoys studying Political Economy at the UAM [Autonomous Metropolitan University]. She tells us about her major and the plans that she has for the future and shares some insights about the large social gap that exists in Mexico.

Paty loves her university as much as she loves her city. In this video she tells us about the wide variety of museums and other interesting places that Mexico City has to offer.

Ana is very happy to be a student at the UAM [Autonomous Metropolitan University]. She says that the UAM is one of the best Universities in Mexico: it is affordable, flexible and offers academic excellence.

Economics is all about the production and consumption of goods and services. Usually, we associate it with numbers and acronyms but in the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana they see the people behind the data. Crista is one of those students willing to chat about her school and her city.

Manuel is a Mexican economics student. Here he tells us about what he likes most about his major, his future plans, and his pastimes.

We are at Mexico City’s public university talking with Manuel. He tells us about the contrasts that exist within his neighborhood and what he thinks about the relationship between the United States and Mexico.

Manuel, soon to be a lawyer, tell us about his dreams, his favorite activities, including singing, and about his career.

Venado Meraki is a well-known group from Guadalajara, México, who classifies itself as a "folk rock en espanol." Their romantic song "Bajamar" [Low Tide] is reminiscent of a poem.

Juan is a seller of large garden plants in the fashionable La Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City. Luckily for us, he was willing to tell us a little about his lovely merchandise, most of which grows native in the lush mountains of Oaxaca.

Veronica explains how analyzing situations separately, making conscious decisions and letting go can help us to achieve a sense of calmness in our lives in spite of the many stresses we all face.