Are you a poet between the ages of 12 and 18 looking to get published? VOYA Magazine, the magazine for Voice of Youth Advocates which is devoted to the informational needs of teenagers, is looking for submissions for its annual poetry contest!

To enter, you must connect with a librarian, teacher, or other professional who works with youth and have them submit your entry on your behalf – the contest WILL NOT accept entries submitted by teens. VOYA judges will select the top five poems. When notified, sponsors must return the Publication Authorization form which gives parental permission to print the work of the winning poets. Each winner will receive a $20 cash prize and a copy of the April 2011 issue of VOYA.

Interested? Here are the submission guidelines:

1. Your poem may be up to 30 lines on any topic
2. It must be typed in a word document
3. Include your name, age, town, and state; adult sponsor’s name, title, organization/school/library, address, phone and email on the SAME PAGE as your poem
4. Name the document file with your last name (ie: Smith.doc)
5. Attach the document to an email with “VOYA Teen Poetry Contest” and your last name in the subject line and send to
6. Please submit only ONE poem for consideration

The deadline for entries is December 31, 2010. Good luck!

Are you a high school junior or senior looking for summer growth opportunities? You might want to look into these programs I just learned about courtesy of the Northwest Girls Coalition.

The first is the Student Leaders Program through the Bank of America’s Charitable Foundation, which is open to high school juniors and seniors who have a passion for improving their community. The program aims to “put passion into action” by providing selected students with an 8-week paid internship at a nonprofit organization, as well as an all-expenses paid week-long Student Leadership Summit in Washington, DC where they’ll gain civic, social, and business leadership skills. Interested? Fill out the online application here (deadline is January 12, 2011).

The second opportunity is the Bezos Scholars Program at the Aspen Institute, which will award twelve pairs of top public high school juniors and educators a seven-day, all-expenses-paid scholarships to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival next summer. To be eligible for the program, the student and educator team must be independent thinkers, demonstrated leaders, and engaged community member, and come from a public high school (including charter and magnet schools) at which at least 25 percent of students are eligible for the free/reduced lunch program. The school must offer Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or the opportunity to take college/community college courses.

To qualify, student applicants must be public high school juniors during the 2010-11 academic year who: demonstrate leadership in school and community, have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have scored exceptionally well on PSAT/SAT/or ACT, are enrolled in Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate/college classes, and are legal U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.

Visit the Bezos Family Foundation website to review the school and scholar criteria, view videos, and download the program flyer, application form, and an FAQ. Deadline for applications is February 11, 2011.

Do you have a hero in your life? Maybe it’s someone in your family, or a teacher, or a tutor. Maybe it’s a friend or a mentor. If so, Subway (yes, the sandwich company) wants to hear from you. Subway has just partnered with the production company Electus to launch – an 8-week program encouraging high school students to nominate inspirational heroes from their lives.

To nominate someone, you can upload photos and/or videos supporting your nominee on the initiative’s . Then vote and have everyone you know do the same. What’s at stake? Being named Subway’s ultimate High School Hero. Oh, and the winner will also receive $10,000 and an Apple iPad.

Founder of Electus Ben Silverman says, “Social media is transforming how consumers communicate and tell their own stories on a constant and shared basis. We are thrilled to build a franchise that can engage audiences in brand narrative and community empowerment and work with world class brands on a creative campaign designed to inspire and champion young people around the country.”

If you want to nominate someone, do it soon – the winner will be announced on Facebook December 16, 2010.

Last week, Bing,the newish Microsoft search engine launched a contest called Our School Needs, in which they’re inviting students to submit entries explaining what their school needs – from arts programs and books for the library, to healthy lunch programs and school supplies.

Students can work in groups, classes, or school-wide to complete their submission, which must finish the sentence, “Our School Needs: _________.” Entries should include a 500-800 word essay, 3-5 photos, and if you’re up to the task, a video (no more than 3 minutes long).

Bing users will vote on the top finalists in the elementary, middle school, and high school categories, and one winner for each level will be chosen to win $50,000 for their school. One grand-prize winning school will win $100,000. Lastly, up to $900,000 in additional funding will be donated to various schools through DonorsChoose.org.

To enter the contest, visit Bing’s Our School Needs contest page. To find out more about how it works, watch this video. Good luck!

If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, please check out my friend and fellow member of the Confidence Community (TM) Johanna Kandel’s new book, which just came out today.

Johanna struggled with her eating disorder for ten years before finally getting help. She founded the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness in 2000 to do community outreach, education, awareness, and prevention of various eating disorders, to share the message that recovery from these disorders is possible, and make sure that those suffering from eating disorders don’t have to recover alone.

In her powerful new book, Johanna offers tools and insight for those with eating disorders so they can:

• Stop self-sabotage and sidestep triggers
• Quiet the eating-disordered voice
• Strengthen the healthy, positive voice
• Let go of all-or-nothing thinking
• Overcome fear and embrace change
• Stay motivated and keep moving forward

Complete with inspiring true stories from others who have won their personal battles with eating disorders, this book provides the help you need to break free from your eating disorder and discover how wonderful life really can be.

Congratulations to Johanna on bringing this very important book into the world!

I just found out about another great opportunity for those of you who want to get more involved in journalism and are looking for a platform to share your perspective on pop culture, the media, and more. Ypulse, the popular blog that provides independent coverage of youth culture, has just put out the call for new members to join the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board (YAB). Ypulse is looking to further expand the YAB network and broaden the scope of young voices that give Ypulse Readers an authentic glimpse into youth culture today.

Here’s the scoop straight from the source:

For the 2010/2011 term we’re opening up 10 slots to youth between the ages of 13 and 24. We’re looking for diversity in age, race, geography and experience, but most importantly strong opinions about youth culture that will inform and challenge the ongoing discussion around media and marketing here on Ypulse.

We offer the YAB quarterly incentives, along with, of course, the opportunity to publish on Ypulse (building a body of published work and having your photo/bio on the site), network with other advisory board members, and the potential for college or career references and recommendations. There may also be opportunities to attend conferences or other events as “press.”

The board meets on a virtual platform once a month and regularly corresponds over email to discuss editorial ideas, multimedia projects and other contributions. To qualify as a full member and receive those aforementioned incentives, we ask members meet a few eligibility requirements (5 editorial and/or multimedia contributions per year-long term and a maximum of 3 missed meetings, unless there are extenuating circumstances). Nothing too unreasonable since we know most are students and/or working.

If this at all interests you, I urge you to go for it. One of the Louder Than Words authors I worked closely with this past year, Chelsea Rae Swiggett (author of Rae) participated on the YAB this year and had a great experience.

If you are between the ages of 13 and 24, you can fill out the online application here. The deadline for YAB applications is Friday, September 17 by 5 p.m. PST.

Good luck!

As a big fan of AllyKatzz, a cool social networking site that gives girls ages 10-15 a place to be heard for girls ages 10-15, I’m really excited about their upcoming relaunch. The site is shifting its focus to give girls ages 9-17 a chance to share their thoughts on the things that are important to them. By engaging teens as “reporters” for the site, the new AllyKatzz will give both tweens and teens a content-rich environment where they will delve into topics that are meaningful to them and put more emphasis on their voice. Official AllyKatzz reporters will be given their own AllyKatzz.com columns and have the ability to literally write and ‘right’ their own stories!

Being a reporter for AllyKatzz comes with lots of perks, including:

• Being able to “Speak Up, Be Heard, and Change Their World” — through words, videos, art, and photos.
• Becoming “official” reporters — credentials and all.
• Focusing their time and talent on topics that are of interest to them and others — from the daily life of a tween-teen, to celebrities and fashion, to current events — and having their efforts showcased to millions of people world-wide.
• Opportunities to interview authors, actors, singers, musicians, politicians, CEO’s and more because of AllyKatzz.com’s relationships.
• Being published from a young age — and having a portfolio for college.

Interested? You’ll have to go through a rigorous application process that includes a sample blog, a letter of recommendation, written parental permission, and the stamp of a notary public. But it sounds to me like the payoff if you’re selected will be well-worth the effort!

To find out more and apply, download this form. But hurry and get your application in soon…the new site will be launching next month! Good luck!

Do Something and HP just joined forces to create Increase Your Green, a contest and campaign encouraging teens nationwide to “green” their schools by developing creative plans to engage their classmates and address environmental issues at school.

A panel of judges, including Nick Cannon (check out his PSA below), will evaluate the entries based on creativity, innovation, reduction in waste, energy saved and number of students involved. The best use of technology will be an important criterion for selecting campaign winners. The winners will receive up to $5,000 in funding and an HP Artist Edition notebook to carry out their plan.

The entry period runs from February 15 – April 22, so now is the time to formulate your plan! You can find out all the deets at the Do Something website.

If you have an interest in entrepreneurship, you may want to throw your hat in the ring to be considered for a Girls Going Places Entrepreneurship Award. Sponsored by the Guardian Life Insurance Company, the award program is designed to reward enterprising and community-minded girls ages 12 to 18.

To apply, you’ll have to fill out a form, submit a 250-word essay, and have an adult write a recommendation endorsing you as a young entrepreneur. Winners will have demonstrated entrepreneurship, taking the first steps towards financial freedom, and making a difference in their schools and communities.

What’s in it for you? The prizes are no small thing: the Guardian is offering a $10,000 reward for first place, $5,000 for second, $3,000 for third, and $1,000 for twelve finalists. Deadline for submissions is February 26, 2010.

For more info, complete contest rules, and profiles of previous winners, visit the Girls Going Places website. Good luck!

Tomorrow is the first day of Banned Books Week, an annual event started in 1982 where hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events.

Books might be banned by libraries, schools, and bookstores for any number of reasons – sexual or violent content, the use of profanity or slang…even positive portrayals of homosexuals. Over the years, books ranging from The Gossip Girls series, and TTFN to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Judy Blume’s Forever have been targeted.

One of my favorite authors, Ellen Hopkins, has faced censorship issues with nearly all of her hard-hitting books. Her latest book, , about teen prostitution, is no different.

The Kids Right to Read Project recently interviewed Ellen about the issue of book banning and censorship. Here’s some of what she had to say:

My books speak to real life. My latest book Tricks is about teen prostitution. To write it requires having sex in the book, and not pretty sex. It has to include sex. In Identical which is about sexual abuse by a parent and I take my readers right into the bedroom. Why not shut the door? Well, a lot of books do that and we need to really look at what is going on. What do perpetrators really look like? We expect them to be a certain way – and we need to explore our ideas of who sexual predators are to access the way to protect ourselves and our children. As adults we want to believe things like this, or drug use, are not happening anymore, or happening less and less, but that’s not the case and we need to acknowledge that in order to help the victims. We can’t make life prettier for youth, but we can arm them. In high schools today there are youth who cut, there are those who commit or think about suicide. We have to give our kids the tools.

I don’t back-pedal and I don’t sugar-coat things for my readers. Crank and Glass were both based on true stories- fictionalized of course to give space to my daughter and those that the stories are based upon. I don’t feel as an author I need to tip toe around addiction, sex or anything else. In my books my characters experience things as they are. Kristina for instance feels meth is like riding a roller coaster the first few times she does it. The point is obviously kids should just say no, but they should do so because they understand the consequences of saying yes on their lives. My books allow youth an honest look at important issues affecting them.

I couldn’t agree more. It’s no fluke that Ellen’s books have connected with teens in such a huge way – her writing is raw and and real and she has a willingness to talk about things that frankly aren’t so pretty. If anything, Ellen’s books are realistic portrayals of what could happen and can serve to deter someone from going down a dangerous path. They also have the potential to be important conversation starters. I mean, shouldn’t we be talking and getting real about difficult issues like sex and drug abuse and incest instead of sweeping them under the rug? Censorship is never the answer…discussions, frank conversations, and openness is the only way to go

Do you want to take a stand against book banning? Here are some ideas from the Kids Right to Read Project for getting involved and making a difference:

• Send a letter to local newspapers and magazines, or write an “op-ed” article.
• Write to any and all public officials involved in the situation, including the mayor, city council, and other city officials, superintendent of schools and school board members, members of the library board, and state education officials. Find your local representative on this website.
• Attend school board, library board, and PTA meetings and raise the issue. Bring your friends to voice their support.
• Start a petition or letter-writing campaign. Organize a local anti-censorship group, and publicize your activities on the Internet.
• Spread the word online: start a Facebook group, a blog, a Twitter account to connect your friends to the issues you care about and to find other people who share your concerns.
• Work with community groups, especially professional and civic organizations, and religious groups, to call attention to the problem.
• If the censorship incident is in a school, get affected parents and students involved. If a teacher is targeted for criticism because s/he used “controversial” materials, it is particularly important to support the teacher—if you ever expect any other teachers to stick their necks out in the future. Circulate a petition in support of the teacher or the materials. Solicit help and support from other teachers and educators.

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Book Giveaway Contest

Where do you stand on the issue of book banning in schools? Leave a comment explaining the reasoning behind your position on the issue and you’ll be entered to win a copy of Ellen Hopkin’s brand new book, . A winner will be chosen at random on October 7, 2009. And to read Ellen’s recounting of the current censorship battle she’s fighting over a canceled school visit in Oklahoma and a local news anchor’s public call out for her books to be banned, read her blog here.