Channel One, the news channel broadcast in thousands of middle school and high school classrooms around the country, is sponsoring a contest for teens who want to report on a person or group that’s gone green.

The network is challenging teens ages 13-18 to find a local story about a person or organization changing the environment for the better, and then get your video camera and interview them about what they’re doing, how they’re addressing the issue, and what the result or goal of their actions is.

One grand-prize winner will receive $500; two runners-up will win $250 each.

Deadline: May 9, 2008!

Read the official Making a Difference Contest Rules here and good luck!

Today is the 12th annual National Day of Silence, a student-led day of action when concerned students – from middle school to college – take some form of a vow of silence to bring attention to the name-calling, bullying, and harassment experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students and their friends.

This year’s Day of Silence will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a California 8th-grader who was shot and killed Feb. 12 by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. Find out more about the Lawrence King tragedy here.

The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) sponsors the event, and encourages students to participate in cooperation with their schools. Some students may choose to be silent for the day, while others might choose to be silent for part of the day, during lunch, or at a community event. Some students may participate in “Breaking the Silence” rallies where students come together at the end of the day to express themselves and share their experiences.

Here’s a PSA featuring Lance Bass about the day:

Right after Lawrence King was shot and killed, Ellen DeGeneres spoke out against the hate crime on her show. Ellen’s passionate plea for people to be accepting of everyone was powerful, and something I think everyone should see. .

Visit the Day of Silence website for tips on how to acknowledge the day at your school, or how you can participate if your school chooses not to support the day. And if you participate in this day at your school, please comment here and let us know what you did and how it was received!

I just found out about a writing contest that may be of interest to some of you! It’s from The Nation magazine, and is sponsored by the BIL Charitable Trust to recognize and reward the best in student writing and thinking. Here are the details:

“We’re looking for original, thoughtful, provocative student voices to answer this question: What have you learned from a personal experience that the next president should know before setting the agenda for the country? Essays should not exceed 800 words and should be original, unpublished work (the writing can have been published in a student publication) that demonstrates fresh, clear thinking and superior quality of expression and craftsmanship. We’ll select five finalists and two winners–one from college, one from high school. Each winner will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize and a Nation subscription. The winning essays will be published and/or excerpted in the magazine and featured on our website. The five finalists will be awarded $200 each and subscriptions, and their entries will be published online. Only one entry per student. Please send entries to .”

• Age Requirements: The contest is open to all matriculating high school students and undergrads at American schools, colleges, and universities.
• Deadline: May 31, 2008

Submissions can be e-mailed to . Please include the essay in the body of the e-mail. All e-mailed submissions will be acknowledged. Each entry must include author’s name, address, phone number, e-mail and short biography and school affiliation – and say “student essay” in the subject line. Email with any questions.

Good luck!

A HUGE congratulations to Indy car racer Danica Patrick! Danica made history on Sunday when she won the Indy Japan 300…the first time a woman has ever won an Indy car race!

It wasn’t that long ago that women weren’t allowed to even be a member of a racing pit crew, let alone compete in such races. Then in 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the Indy 500. She writes about her racing career in her book .

Today, Danica at 26 years old, is forging new paths of her own. Since coming in fourth place in the Indy 500 three years ago, she’s been trying to win…something that many didn’t think was possible. Even though she was gaining lots of attention for her racing skills, she was constantly faced with those who said she’d never capture that top spot.

In an interview with The New York Times, Danica talked about what her victory means to her: “This reaches outside racing. This is about finding something you love to do, and following through with it.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself! Congrats again Danica, and we’ll be cheering you on in the Indy 500 next month! Visit Danica’s website to find out more.

Happy Earth Day! Today people all over the world are joining together to celebrate our planet and recommit to protecting its natural resources.

Every year, we learn more and more about global warming and its serious consequences. Scary, because unless we turn things around soon, life for all of us is going to drastically change. Good, because as we learn more about the impact we’re having on the earth, I believe we can ignite enough momentum and passion to actually turn things around.

I picked up my 3-year-old son, Asher, from preschool this afternoon, and I knew their teacher was spending the week talking about the Earth. When I asked Asher for ideas on how we might celebrate Earth Day, he suggested we eat more pancakes. His logic being, that since pancakes are round, they’ll remind us of the earth every time we eat them, and maybe that will remind us to take better care of our planet.

So, what the heck. I’ll eat more pancakes. But I’m also going to recommit to doing what I can to reduce my family’s ecological footprint. Here are some things I’m going to keep on doing (or do more of!):

• use reusable canvas bags when shopping (for groceries, clothes, whatever)
• unplug computers, chargers, toasters, and any other electronic gizmos that suck energy out of the outlets when they’re not in use
• take shorter showers
• turn off the water when brushing teeth
• don’t turn lights on unless it’s dark, and use low-emission light bulbs
• buy locally grown produce whenever possible
• walk, bike, and take public transportation more and drive less
• buy less new “stuff” – thrift stores are less expensive and are just another way of recycling

How about you? Have you made any big changes in your life to reduce your impact on the environment? Leave a comment and share!

For more info on Earth Day, check out these websites:

• Earthday Network
• Envirolink
• US Environmental Protection Agency
• Earthsite

Do you dream of being the next Steven Spielberg? Is the film industry beckoning you? If so, you can get a head start and valuable experience by trying out for the Fresh Films National Teen Filmmaking Program.

Samsung Mobile Fresh Films will give 99 creative and diverse teens from all over the country the unique opportunity to work on one of nine all-teen film crews challenged to create, shoot, and edit a short festival-quality film in seven days this summer. Fresh Films crews will be shooting in 9 different cities: Portland, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, St. Louis, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, Boston, and New Orleans.

Here’s what you need to know:

U.S. teens ages 14-19 can apply and no experience is necessary. Teens must submit a completed entry form, including 100 words or less on why they want to be a part of a film crew along with a sample film idea. Get all the details here.

Deadline: May 5th

Good luck!

I’m so excited to be taking part in ReaderGirlz first ever Operation Teen Book Drop (TBD) on Thursday, April 17! ReaderGirlz has partnered with the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) to donate more than 10,000 YA books to teen patients in hospitals across the United States as part of Support Teen Lit Day.

While the books going to hospitals are being donated by book publishing houses, ReaderGirlz wanted to get authors involved too, so they have reached out to teens and YA authors everywhere and asked us to leave a book in a teen gathering spot in our community where the book will be found, taken, and read (i.e. a coffee shop, a park, a school, a bus stop).

I’ll be dropping a copy of my books Chill and In Their Shoes here in Seattle…I haven’t figured out the perfect place yet, but will do so by Thursday. And you can participate too! Share one of your favorite YA books with another teen by doing a drop of your own. You can download a bookplate from the Readergirlz site to stick inside the book you drop.

Everyone who participates in Operation TBD is invited to celebrate at the TBD Post-Op Party on April 17th on the .

Here’s to getting more great books in the hands of teens! Let me know if you participate in Operation TBD!

Cheers,

Debbie

Hi Smart Girls!

Today’s the day…my new book CHILL: Stress-Reducing Techniques for a More Balanced, Peaceful You hits stores! Chill is all about reducing the stress in your everyday life when it comes to surviving school, handling friendships, managing busy schedules, and basically staying sane during a time when you’re getting pulled in a million different directions at once.

Later in the week, you’ll be able to read an excerpt from the book and download extras at my website, but for now, here’s a quick look at the kinds of stress-reducing strategies I talk about in Chill: time management, organization, speaking up, saying no, creating a support system, getting perspective, DIY therapy, journaling, zoning out, tuning in, exercise, and nutrition.

Chill also features mini-articles on handling specific scenarios and stresses, including a college admissions survival guide, how to find balance when you have a part-time job, a friendship survival guide, and ways to bring more zen into your life.

I’m so excited that this book has finally arrived! Spread the news and let me know what you think!

With peace & love,

Debbie