Casting Call!

Are you a girl inventor or entrepreneur?

By Kids for Kids (BKFK) is looking for kids aged 8-16 with a great idea or business that has already achieved some success to appear in the new television series, THINK BIG!   By Kids for Kids is a company with the mission to inspire, motivate, and stimulate the innovative spirit within all young people.  The television show will provide a platform for kid inventors and entrepreneurs to showcase their products, letting the world know that kids have great ideas too.  Kids can plan, design and manufacture great ideas into products and services everyone can use.  Want to submit your idea? Visit their website at www.bkfk.com/thinkbig.

 

In fact, you may want to swing by their main website, powered by the new Idea Locker, too.  The company has four other contests running right now, one for designers, one for artists/writers, one for those interested in the environment, and one for sports enthusiasts.

What a fun way to explore your interests and find support for them!

Go, girls!

Sending you creative passion, Elizabeth (Bissy!)

Hugging ban enforced

By now, most of you have probably heard of the 12 and 13-year-old girls who got detention for hugging their friends. The hugs apparently broke a rule against "public displays of affection" that the school had.

Here at New Moon, we've been talking about this piece of news a lot. Julia Barenboim, New Moon's Assistant Online Editor, says, "We already live in such a cold, material-based society, and now we are discouraging positive relationships in children even more. And we wonder why teens [can be] so harsh and emotionally unresponsive? Adults frequently blame this on technology, but it sure seems the picture is a lot more 3-D than that. I also thought it was interesting that they made a huge point to say they weren't 'full frontal' hugs - um, there's really nothing wrong with that either . . . can't school officials tell the difference between something sexually inappropriate and two friends connecting?"

I wondered the same thing. While I understand the school's need -- and responsibility -- to watch out for sexual harrassment, banning hugs seems like a lazy way of ignoring the real problem, which is consent or lack of it. It's pretty easy to tell by looking whether a hug is welcome or not -- when you see by someone's body language that she's clearly not welcoming the hug, that's the time to step in.

These schools say they're trying to prevent sexual harrassment or distracting romantic scenes in the school hallways. But both girls who got detention insist that they didn't do anything wrong. Although I understand where the school's policy is coming from, I have to say I agree with the girls on this one.

But I'm interested in hearing what you have to say. Have you heard about the punished huggers? Does your school have "no hugging" rules? Do you hug your friends? Do you think the rules are fair, or over the top? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

Girls Editorial Board Featured In Ms. Magazine

In honor of Ms. Magazine's 35th anniversary, the Girls Editorial Board was asked to share their voices about the future of feminism.

The GEB is featured in the Fall 2007 issue along with Gloria Steinem, Whoopi Goldberg, Alice Walker, Billie Jean King and many more. We are honored and proud that the girls of New Moon are standing side-by-side with these great voices.

Learn more about the Ms. 35th anniversary issue and add your voice to the Voices that Carry section of their website!

And of course girls, we want to hear your voice, too! Where do you see the future of feminism going in 35 years? Click on the image to the left to read what the GEB had to say!

Girl's Best Friend

It takes guts to be a girl in this world. There is no denying it. It is an exciting and fruitful position to have, but it takes a certain amount of courage. There are media images to combat, stereotypes to face, and the ongoing processes of connecting to and holding onto the true voice within herself. Every girl is brave.

One brave girl who has shown up in the news lately is twelve-year-old Shea Megale. Together with her five-year-old companion dog Mercer, she is trying to get the news out about Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a condition that has resulted in her use of a wheelchair to get around. Mercer, Shea, and her mother recently did a television interview to promote Shea's new book, Marvelous Mercer. Shea is remarkably well-spoken, showing the world just what girls have in store for it in terms of an ability to make a difference. "I want to do things to change the world. I think kids like us can," Shea says on the Marvelous Mercer website. She sounds like a New Moon girl!

Marvelous Mercer tells the imagined story of Mercer's nighttime adventures, taking part in the physical activities like ice skating that Shea herself cannot because of her SMA. One point that Shea's mother makes in the interview is that the Marvelous Mercer books (the book is planned to turn into a series) help take the focus off of Shea by focusing people's attention on her dog. It takes bravery to attract the amount of attention that Shea does just by going to the store, and it takes even more to channel her experience constructively by writing. Her "disability" is transformed into a heightened ability to imagine.

This leads me to my questions for you readers. If you had been inventing the English language, what would you have called the word "disability" instead? To me, it's always seemed like it shouldn't have anything that suggests a negative the way the prefix "dis-" so wrongly does. Do any of the alternate terms out there? Or does something like "unexpectedly gifted" ring more of a bell in your heart? I want to know.

What about companion animals? There are all kinds--seeing eye dogs, hearing ear dogs, the list goes on... Do you or someone you know have a special companion animal who makes a difference? In the television interview, Shea pointed out that of all the miraculous things Mercer can do for her, like turning on the lights and opening doors, the most valuable of all is being her best friend.

Bravery has many forms, and this evening I want to celebrate all of you brave girls out there.

Adios for now, Elizabeth

Baking a Difference

Most of us have had those backyard bake sales, but can you imagine earning $2,855.64? Jennifer Worby, Harly Griffith and Jenna Griffith did. With the help of their parents, the girls cooked and set up a bake sale to raise money for victims of the recent arson fire in MacEwan, Canada. "One lady gave us $200 and she didn't get anything," Jennifer said. Adults in the neighborhood pitched in and directed traffic toward the sale. The inspiration came when their friend lost her bedroom to the fire. "I really felt bad for people who lost their houses," said Jennifer. Other organizations helped too. Victory Christian Centre collected anything from clothes to furniture. The producers of Walking with Dinosaurs- The Live Experience donated 100 new toys. All over people are helping the victims of the $20 million fire. And just three girls made a huge difference in a lot of people's lives. "If kids did this, imagine what the adults would do. We're kind of trying to influence them," Jennifer explained. You go girls!

Read the report about the fire or the article about these amazing girls.

Peace, friends.

State of the World's Children

What do 17-year-old Doly of Bangladesh, 13-year-old Mulu of Ethiopia, and 14-year-old Fatna of Chad have in common? [click on the links girls' names to watch short movies about their lives!]

They’re all girls profiled in The State of the World’s Children 2007, an annual report created by UNICEF. This year, the report focuses on gender equality. According to UNICEF, eliminating gender discrimination and empowering women does a lot to help children—so the report focuses on ensuring that women and girls have equal opportunities in education, government, and economics.

Like previous years' reports, this year’s paints a grim picture for girls worldwide. Here’s a UNICEF summary:

Despite progress in women’s status in recent decades, the lives of millions of girls and women are overshadowed by discrimination, disempowerment and poverty. Girls and women are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and women in most places earn less than men for equal work. Millions of women throughout the world are subject to physical and sexual violence, with little recourse to justice. As a result of discrimination, girls are less likely to attend school; nearly one out of every five girls who enroll in primary school in developing countries does not complete a primary education. Education levels among women, says the report, correlate with improved outcomes for child survival and development.

It’s a sad report, but it’s also touching to read stories like those of a girl in Africa who’s trying to become her village’s first girl to graduate from high school, or a girl who fought to safe her own life after being abducted.

Click here to read the report—you’re in for a fascinating ride. The report, and UNICEF’s webpage about its findings, is telling. For example, take these statistics on discrimination against women in different parts of the world:

In the Middle East and North Africa, UNICEF found that over 80% of men who responded to their survey agreed that men make better political leaders than women do. In Asia, that number was closer to 60%. But that’s still way too high!
And here are more facts:

The total number of female heads of state or government in the world is 14 out of 192 UN Member States (countries that belong to the United Nations).

Women and children account for 80% of civilian casualties during armed conflict (i.e. war).

In Cameroon, women who earn money typically spend 74% of it on food for their families, while men only spend about 22%.

One out of every 16 sub-Saharan African women will die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, compared to just 1 out of every 4,000 in industrialized countries.

While more than 80 per cent of Latin American countries have specific legislation against domestic violence, this is true of less than 5 per cent of countries in Eastern Europe, Africa and East Asia and the Pacific.

After reading the report, check out UNICEF's cool website for kids and teens: Voices of Youth. See their explanation on why gender equality benefits everyone, learn how to take action to make a difference, and view the beautiful winning photos from their photo contest on portraits of inspirational women.

'Street Harassment Is a Crime!'

Last month, the Village Voice reported on Girls for Gender Equality, a Brooklyn, NY group that's taking their fight against street harassment to the front lines of their battle--the very streets of their neighborhoods. They're speaking up and using their voices to remind their city that street harassment is a crime!

Like Holla Back NYC, a photoblog that allows women to respond to street harassment by photographing their harasser and posting it on the blog, the Girls for Gender Equality's project is a grassroots way to take a stand against harassment and show that girls and women have a right to feel comfortable and safe in public spaces.

The girls, who range in age from 15 to 18, shot and directed an 18-minute documentary on street harassment by interviewing the harassers themselves, work to raise awareness of street harassment within Brooklyn's diverse cultures, and organized workshops on self-defense and responding to street harassment. They also created posters, described here by the Village Voice:

The poster features a young woman standing in front of the shadows of men and a checklist: "I am followed by older men every day after school," "I am afraid to walk with my sisters or friends at night," and "Men think my name is 'Psst . . . ma!' or 'Ayo, shorty!' " Under the line "Street Harassment Is a Crime!" reads: "New York law prohibits street harassment (Article 120 and Article 240). You are not alone."

You go, girls!

The project reminds me of The Blank Noise Project, a public art project started to address street harassment in India. The project includes public displays of the actual clothes that victims were wearing when they were harassed (to fight the myth that only women wearing ‘provocative’ clothes are harassed) and spray-painted stories of sexual harassment in public places, created by victims of harassment. It's very cool--check it out!

P.S. Looking for your own ways to fight back against street harassment? Try these tips, adapted from the Dane County Rape Crisis Center in Madison, WI:

1. Name the behavior and the person behind it. For example, “Don’t stare at me. That’s harassment” or “You, the man in the blue polo shirt, stop making catcalls.”
2. Use a ‘silent stare.’ Sometimes, a stare is more powerful than words. Staring at a harasser turns the tables on the harasser.
3. ‘Bring it home.’ Try, “I hope nobody ever treats your mom the way you’re treating me.”
4. Use strong body language: hold your head high, look your harasser in the eye, and speak clearly and loudly

Looking for an inspiring (and thought-provoking) movie to watch? Check out War Zone, a 1998 documentary created by filmmaker Maggie Hadleigh-West. Here's what the Media Education Foundation says about the movie:

What does it feel like to be a woman on the street in a cultural environment that does nothing to discourage men from heckling, following, touching or disparaging women in public spaces?

Filmmaker Maggie Hadleigh-West believes that the streets are a War Zone for women. Armed with only a video-camera, she both demonstrates this experience and, by turning and confronting her abusers, reclaims space that was stolen from her.

War Zone is an excellent discussion starter for both men and women. It gives voice and expression to a disturbing daily aspect of being a woman in this society. It also gives men a direct personal feeling for what harassing behavior looks and feels like to a woman. Young men who may think such behavior is cool or funny will be forced to rethink their assumptions.

When I watched War Zone with a mixed-gender group at my high school, it sparked some of the most interesting discussions on gender I'd ever heard. Click here to watch a YouTube trailer for the film!

17-year-old Girl Shoots Flames 30 Feet Into Air from 7,000 Horsepower Tractor

No joke. As The New York Times reported today in its article Not Yet Legal for the Street, but a Whiz on a Tractor, 17-year-old Nicole Snyder, the youngest of just 8 women competing in Wisconsin's Dairyland Super National Truck and Tractor Pull last weekend, can do all that--and more--on her tractor armed with two jet engines and 7,000 horsepower (as much as an industrial helicopter!).

Reported The New York Times' Christopher Maag:

What really impressed the crowd were her flames. Tapping a button at the top of her throttle stick, which resembles the yoke on a fighter plane, Ms. Snyder shot yellow-white flames 30 feet into the air.

“Whoo-hoo!” yelled Chris Jelle, 54, a spectator from Belleville. “That’s a 17-year-old girl? Holy cow. That is awesome.”

A few seconds later, Ms. Snyder threw the throttle forward, sending the front tires of her tractor, the Legend, leaping off the dirt as she raced down the track in one long wheelie.

“It’s pretty fun, I guess,” she said after the run. “I haven’t had any big wrecks yet, so that’s good.”

Ironically, Nicole doesn't have her driver's license yet. But she has already taken third place at three different competitions. Go, girl!

Nicole during competition (on the blue tractor)

Jailbird!

Yay! It's another day of witnessing the media get wrapped up in the inconsequential trivialities of an airhead celeb (if you guessed I was referring to Paris Hilton, you're right).

A Google News search today returned some 19,000 stories on Paris Hilton's release from an LA jail. Yes, folks, while millions of people around the world are starving to death, women's rights are under attack, global warming-induced climate change is taking the world by storm (no pun intended), and bloody wars keep killing more people, the media can't stop flipping out over a blond waif's little escapades!

As fellow New Moonie Crystal put it, "It's so annoying that [Paris] gets so much attention, and the real, valid, important things girls are doing in the world get overshadowed by her!" Thanks, Crystal--couldn't have said it better.

The media reports that Paris has now disappeared to "an undisclosed location" (hmmm...maybe she's picked up some tips from Cheney). Perhaps that's good for the rest of us, although we all know it's going to take a lot more than a few Paris Hiltons falling off the face of the planet for the mainstream media to start consistently paying attention to the REAL issues girls face. After all, when was the last time you saw real coverage of a topic like body image (not the fake celebrity stuff), racism against women of color, women's rights in places like Africa and Afghanistan, global issues like HIV/AIDS or female genital mutilation, or women in politics (not counting Hillary)?

Drop us a line at blog@newmoon.org and tell us what you want the media to be covering--and what you think of the Parisian shenanigans of late.

Girls Go Global

The New Moon team: intern Natalia and adult editors Lacey and Heather (back row, L-R);

GEB members Georgia, Ari, and Libby

Greetings! A team of New Moon editors and GEB members just returned from presenting at the 2007 Global Girls' Day, an event sponsored by the non-profit Girls International Forum and held at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. New Moon sent girl editors Georgia, Ari, and Libby to present a two-hour workshop called "TAKE ACTION! Using Letter-Writing to Fight for Girls' Education Worldwide." The girls presented the workshop to a diverse group of participants who were at Global Girls' Day to learn about issues facing girls' access to education around the world.

New Moon and Girls International Forum have a long history. Girls International Forum (GIF) was first started in 1994 by the Minnesota girls and women who attended the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women. In 2006, GIF hosted an international summit for girls from around the world to take action on global issues. Teams of girl activists from India, South Africa, Kenya, Indonesia, Israel, and the U.S. met to address issues like education, HIV/AIDS, and violence against women. New Moon presented at the Summit--click here to read a report from former GEB member and over-the-moon Carly.

This year, Girl Summit Leaders from across North America--including teens from Minneapolis, Chicago, Canada, and California--organized Global Girls' Day with the help of six talented young women mentors, including founding members of GIF. Almost 100 girls ages 10 to 18 from around the Midwest attended Global Girls' Day to learn about and take action on Girls' Education, HIV/AIDS, Gender-Based Violence (domestic abuse and sexual assault and harassment) and Human Trafficking.

In the morning, GIF Summit Leaders facilitated workshops for girls to learn more about these issues. Several exciting organizations, including Civil Socity, TVByGirls, the Minnesota AIDS Project, and Asian Media Access put together afternoon sessions on taking action on these issues.

The New Moon team got to listen in on the morning session on girls' education, where Summit Leaders showed a fascinating woman-directed movie on education in Egypt, presented facts on girls' education, and led discussions on the obstacles girls face to accessing education and some of the solutions that can improve thos problems. Check out some of the things we learned:

• Of the 100 million children who won't go to school this year, 60 million are girls


• Educating girls is important for so many reasons: girls' education fights poverty better than anything else, increases girls' health and safety, helps peacebuilding, attacks gender discrimination, and promotes gender equality


• Many barriers keep girls out of school, from transportation (in some areas of the world, the nearest schools are an hour away), sanitation (and a widespread lack of separate, safe bathrooms for girls), cost, child labor (many parents can't afford to send girls to school because they need them to work to support their family), and a lack of girls' schools. We also learned that early marriage sometimes keeps girls from getting to school. In Egypt, for example, it isn't uncommon for girls as young as 11 or 12 to be forced into marriage, and some 40% of girls get hitched (often without their consent) by their 16th birthday!


• Sub-Saharan Africa, the world region with the largest number of girls out of school, is home to a whopping 23 million girls who are missing out on an education


• Of the 1 billion illiterate adults in the world, almost two-thirds--65%--are women


• The U.S. spends less than 1% of its Gross National Income on international aid, including efforts to improve girls' education


• There are so many solutions to make sure girls can get the education they deserve, including building girls' bathrooms, providing schools with more female teachers, enforcing the UN's regulations on ensuring education for all children, elimination tuition and school fees, and buying textbooks and other supplies.

Some girls participating in the workshop commented that they were amazed to learn about so many girls who dream of going to school more than anything else. As one teen girl who had just begun school in Egypt for the first time in her life put it, "I feel enlightened." Think of THAT next time you're bored in school!

At lunch, we heard from a wonderful speaker from the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. A Hmong refugee herself, as well as a graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, Columbia's School of Public Administration, and the University of Pennsylvania's Law School, ThaoMee Xiong told us she was drawn to speak at Global Girls' Day because of her strong belief in girls' potential. It was chilling to hear her tell the audience that she thought the future CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, world leaders, and even President of the United States were in the room. ThaoMee told girls, "No matter what kind of a background you come from, if you take advantage of the opportunities offered to you, you can be anything or do anything you want." She was speaking from experience. At age 28, when she heard about a crisis for Hmong refugees in Thailand, she boarded a plane for Bangkok without having a job or knowing a word of Thai. Yet her work paid off: she created a powerful documentary of a young Hmong refugee woman's life, and helped bring 8,000 refugees to live in the Twin Cities.

ThaoMee ended her speech with a charge to participants: "Take it upon yourself to improve others' lives using the opportunities you have. People like Susan B. Anthony worked way too hard for us to stop [fighting for girls and women]. In honor of all the women that fought before us, I challenge you to fight for what's right...We have to work against institutions that oppress the poor, people of color, and women. The only thing stopping us is our internal fear."

Inspired by the speech, we began our TAKE ACTION presentation on how girls can use the power of their voices to write letters on girls education (or any other issue) to decision-makers like newspaper editors, U.S. Congresspeople, and other leaders. We gave girls a roadmap for a successful letter, and shared moving stories from girls around the world to include as anecdotes. Are you interested in writing your own letter? Try these tips:

• Include your own stories and passionate opinions


• Avoid making unsupported generalizations--support your statements with specific facts


• Grab your reader's attention with a compelling story, statistic, or opinion


• Make your letter timely. If you're writing to a congressperson, email them using the form on their website instead of writing snail mail (by the time they receive it, a vote may have already passed). Likewise, a letter to the editor of a news outlet should follow up on a current news story.


• Be direct; make your writing clear and concise (but be sure it's respectful)


• Write often! The more letters, the better.

At the end of the day, all of the Global Girls' Day participants regrouped to hear about what other groups had done. It was inspiring to hear stories from sexual assault survivors, learn about what local women do to fight human trafficking, and hear the passion in girls' voices as they described their issues. We also enjoyed an amazing performance from Edna Stevens Talton (left) and Universal Dance Destiny, whose combination of hip-hop and African dance was incredible. It was a great way to end an exciting day!

P.S. Want to learn more about girls' education? Check out these wonderful sites: the United Nations Girls Education Initiative, the Global Fund for Women, CARE, and Women's eNews. Then make your voice heard!

Check it Out! New Magazine for Muslim Girls' Voices

The San Francisco Chronicle published an article yesterday on Muslim Girl, a six-month-old magazine for American Muslim girls. Muslim Girl features everything from fashion to cheerleading to how readers can help women in countries like Afghanistan. Yes, it's a glossy teen magazine like Seventeen, but The San Francisco Chronicle notes that Muslim Girl doesn't shy away from intense topics--it "addresses the issues and questions that Seventeen magazine won't tackle."

We're excited to hear about another magazine that doesn't mind tackling issues beyond, say, boys and makeup.

Check out The San Francisco Chronicle's article, "Teen magazine addresses challenges of being Muslim girl in United States," here. Then tell us:

• Have you read Muslim Girl? Share your opinions with us!
• Do you read a magazine or blog that addresses issues related to your race, ethnicity, or some part of your culture?

Also, check out Muslim Girl's awesome tips on how you can get involved to help women living in Muslim countries. Here's a sample of two really cool groups that work to make a difference in Muslim women's lives:

• The Afghan Youth Sports Exchange helps bring soccer to girls in Afghanistan
• The Dyana Afghan Women's Fund supports Afghan women by teaching them important skills in math, reading and writing

P.S. Attention, Harry Potter fans! We've had great discussions on Harry Potter. Now, for some Harry Potter trivia courtesy of Muslim Girl: Name one Muslim character who appears anywhere in the Harry Potter books. If you know this Harry Potter trivia, email editor@muslimgirlmagazine.com for your chance to win an iPOD shuffle!

Girl Climbs Mountains

Have you heard about Samantha Larson? On May 17th, 2007 she became the youngest American to reach the summit of Mount Everest. You can read about her adventure on her blog.

Not only has Samantha climbed Mount Everest, she’s climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mount Elbrus in Russia. In fact, she’s climbed all of the “Seven Summits,” the highest mountains on each continent.

Congratulations Samantha!

New Moon Meets with Local Advertising Executives!

Wednesday night, New Moonies and area girls met with local advertising executives to celebrate Turn Beauty Inside Out Day. Executives from H.T. Klatzky & Associates(HTK) and Art Direction and Advertising (pictured at left) took time out of their evening to speak to girls about the business of advertising. Marsha Hystead Senior Vice President and Senior Creative Director from HTK gave an awesome keynote speech and was an inspiration! The thing that inspired me the most were her “Rules to Live By” and I wanted to share them with you.

The most important person in your life is you.
Realize now that you can either be your biggest fan or your worst enemy. If you believe, inside, that you are the coolest person in the world, that will come across to others.

You deserve to be happy. But it’s your responsibility to share your happiness.
You do deserve to be happy. Everyone does. And, you have to do your best to make others happy around you. Let others know they’re cool, too. You will be amazed how that happiness comes back to you.

Live your life as if no one is looking.
This is really important. And it’s really hard. Don’t worry what others think of you. Be yourself. Funny. Serious. Smart. Crazy. Kind. Caring. Whoever you are, be that person first. It will be infectious.

Everyone is beautiful when we see with our hearts instead of our eyes.
It is so important to open your heart to people who may be different. To accept people for who they are and how they look. Where they live. What they wear. If you don’t want to be judged, don’t judge others. Everyone has a story. Be open to hearing it.

Masquerading as a normal person is exhausting!
What is normal anyway? This statement says be you and don’t be afraid to show people who really are. Anyway, it’s much more interesting to be different.

Each night ask yourself: Did I make someone’s life better today?
This is important. Noticing someone who needs a friend, or a listening ear, or just someone to walk home with‑and offering to help‑may just make their day a little better. It can be a small thing, it may take only take a second, but it just may change their life. I guarantee it will change yours.

“I ain’t much, baby, but I’m all I’ve got!”
Learn this now. You’ve been given many talents and gifts. Learn to appreciate them. When you do, they will become evident to others. Trust me. This stuff is true!

You are the most amazing person alive.
If you believe that, you will be successful in everything you do.

After Marsha spoke, the girls got a chance to ask the panelists thought provoking questions and we were able to get a glimpse into the advertising world. We learned a lot! Then, the audience was able to break into small groups to work with the executives one-on-one to analyze ads from commonly read magazines. Each small group shared with the larger group at the end of the night and we had a lively discussion!
Some comments that were made about the advertisements were:
“That’s too showy”
“I wouldn’t buy this product because I don’t even know what it is!”
“She doesn’t look real”


Russ Stover, President of the Duluth City Council proclaimed May 16, 2007 TBIO day in Duluth!! We are so honored that the City of Duluth recognizes all the hard work and dedication our staff (both girls and adults) put into bringing girls’ voices to the world!

I hope you had a wonderful TBIO day! We certainly did!

Happy Turn Beauty Inside Out Day!

Turn Beauty Inside Out Day (TBIO) is a grassroots celebration of media images that promote healthy behavior for girls and boys. We invite you to celebrate inner beauty--the beauty of conviction, caring and action. We need a definition of beauty that focuses on who we are and what we do, not how we look.

This year TBIO is focusing on the portrayal of women and girls in advertising. The New Moon family will be celebrating TBIO Day by meeting with local advertising executives to discuss the images of women and girls in advertising. So, how will you celebrate TBIO day? Visit the TBIO website for ideas!

Check back tomorrow for pictures from the event being held tonight! And tell us how YOU celebrated TBIO with your friends, family and community.

Girls and Technology

The National Science Foundation has funded a new after school program in some Santa Cruz, California schools in the hopes of getting girls interested in technology. From the Santa Cruz Sentinal article:

The students will spend 18 months, including intensive three-week sessions this summer and next, engaged in setting up a computer game business in Whyville.

In addition to designing games, they'll learn how to run a business, from hiring to marketing. They'll earn salaries in Whyville's currency, the clam. They'll also be paired with mentors and tour UC Santa Cruz and the headquarters of Google in Mountain View and game-maker Electronic Arts in Redwood City.

I think that this is a pretty cool after school program. What do you think? Would you participate if your school offered it? Are you interested in computers, video games, and design? What are your favorite video games? Tell us what kind of technology YOU are in to!

13-year-old Helps Her Community

Check out this story about Jamie, a Minnesota girl, who is raising money so that her town can buy a new storm siren, even though some town leaders told her to give up.

Congratulations Jamie for letting your voice be heard and for NOT giving up!

Girls, we want to hear your stories. What sort of things are you doing to help the people in your community? Has an adult ever told you to give up something you wanted to do? Did you listen to them? Send your stories to blog@newmoon.org

Girls Walk to Stand Up

Eleven-year-old Asmahan Mansour wore a red hijab all year on her Nepean, Ontario girls soccer team. But she was ejected from the Canadian indoor championships when the referee claimed it was a safety hazard. Saying that hijabs are less dangerous than other things players wear (like eyeglasses), Asmahan’s teammates walked off the field together, choosing team solidarity over their chance for a national crown. Other Ottawa-area teams also quit in protest. Asmahan said, “ I was very proud of my teammates for having my back.”

Do you agree with the team walking off the field? Have you ever done something similar to show that you disagree with a decision or rule? We want to hear your stories!

Are you a Bookworm?

Hey, readers! I want to tell you about Bookworm, a great magazine I recently discovered. I found out about Bookworm through its creator, 13-year-old Sophie, who emailed New Moon about her project. She generously sent me a few copies of the magazine, and it's one of the best magazines produced for kids and by kids that I've ever seen. It's got great poetry, fiction, artwork, book reviews, you name it! Sophie is always looking for submissions, so it's also a great place to try your luck at publishing YOUR writing. To learn more about Bookworm magazine, check out the website at http://bookworm-mag.com/.

Violence is not Beautiful

Did you watch America's Next Top Model on Wednesday? Although I didn't watch it myself, I've heard a lot about it since it aired. The last episode of America's Next Top Model encouraged aspiring models to pose as "crime victims" -- women who had been murdered, who had overdosed on drugs, even one woman who'd had her organs removed. You can see the images, and the judge's commentary, here. But be warned: this is NOT beautiful, and you should get an adult's permission before you view the images.

These images send the message that being the victim of a crime is glamorous. But anyone who has suffered violence, or who has seen someone she loves suffer violence, knows that there is nothing sexy about it. It's devastating and it destroys lives. Over 1400 girls and women die as victims of violent assaults every year. This number should outrage us -- we should be asking, "Why does our society allow this to happen?" Studies show that kids exposed to violence in the media are MORE likely to commit violence against others and LESS likely to be sympathetic to REAL LIFE survivors of violence. Girls and women who suffer violence do not need a culture that is insensitive to their pain, and America's Next Top Model had no right to turn this nightmare into a fantasy.

If you're as angry as I am about this, PLEASE consider taking one of the following actions.

1. Contact the CW Network, the network that produces and airs America's Top Model

By email: feedback@CWTV.com

By snail mail:
The CW Network
Attn: President of Entertainment
4000 Warner Blvd.,
Burbank, CA 91522

By phone: 818-977-6878

2. Contact Tyra Banks, creator of America's Next Top Model:

Online: http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/contact.html
Email: tyrabanks@studiofanmail.com

Snail Mail:
Tyra Banks
c/o Studio Fan Mail
1122 S. Robertson Blvd #15
Los Angeles, CA 90035

Our friends at Domestic Violence Discussion have created a sample letter that can help you get started.

Sample letter (Feel free to personalize):

I am very disappointed with the episode of America's Next Top Model, which aired on Wednesday March 21, 2007.

The images of battered dead women are not only misogynistic but incredibly horrific. In a world that struggles daily with violence towards women, you exhibited the extremely poor judgment in glamorizing it. Have you ever seen a victim of a violent crime? Being a victim is definitely not as glamorous as was portrayed on America's Next Top Model.

I am outraged at how violence against women was trivialized. I think it is a deplorable way to get ratings. I will not watch your show and am encouraging my friends and family to do the same.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Our friends at Teen Voices are also speaking up about this. Let's show the media that glamorizing violence against women is NOT OK.

“The Higher Power of Lucky,” by Susan Patron--BANNNED

Our local newspaper “The Duluth News Tribune” ran an article this morning that caught my eye. In fact, it tied in nicely to my recent post about using the word “vagina.”

The DNT article talks about how the Newberry Award winning book, “The Higher Power of Lucky,” by Susan Patron is being banned in some libraries because the book uses the word “scrotum.”

From the article:

Many school librarians have decided to ban “The Higher Power of Lucky” from their shelves, either because they feel that it is inappropriate to expose young readers to the word “scrotum” — even though half of them possess one — or because they anticipate angry calls and letters from parents. There are so many troubling things about this attitude that it’s hard to know where to begin.

But I’ll begin with the facts of life. What, exactly, is the purpose served by insulating children from the words that refer to their own bodies, by shrouding those bodies in mystery?

Well said!!

Has anyone read the book? If so, tell us about it or send in your book review and we'll post it on the blog!

blog@newmoon.org