Hi SmartGals!

I recently got back from trip to New York where I had the chance to present a workshop to the Girl Scouts about how girls can reduce the stress in their lives. It was such an amazing opportunity, and I had a blast getting to know the smart women behind the Girl Scout’s very cool Uniquely ME! program. If you haven’t heard of it, Uniquely ME! is a self-esteem initiative that is part of the Girl Scout’s Studio 2B website, which features all kinds of articles and quizzes on everything related to girl power, celebrity culture, relationship advice, and on and on.

Uniquely ME! is supported by none other than the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, which I’ve written about on Smart Girls Know. Through their campaign, Dove is working to educate girls and women and ultimately change the status quo and offer in its place a broader, healthier, more democratic view of beauty…one that all women can own and enjoy everyday. Sounds good to me!

I’ve posted some of the videos from Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty and the Dove Self-Esteem Fund in the past, including Evolution and Onslaught, and I wanted to share with you their latest video, Under Pressure:

What do you think? Write a comment to share your thoughts! And if you have some time, definitely check out the Dove website just for girls where you can learn more about body image, see how images in magazines are retouched, and find out how to beat your own beauty hang-ups.

Okay, I know I mentioned this ever-so-briefly in my last Smart Girls Know update, but it’s time to share the news! I’m working on an exciting new publishing project for teens, and I want to connect with you if you can answer YES to all of these questions:

– Do you love to journal or blog?

– Is writing your passion?

– Do you have an important real-life story to tell?

– Do you dream of being a published author?

– Are you a girl between 13 – 19 years old?

If I just described you, then read on! This new project is about giving a voice to young writers with important things to say. I’m not looking for the next great American novel, but I am looking for teens who are interested in writing a memoir (yes, that’s right…a whole book) about your true-life story.

Interested?

me with the following information:

1. Your name, age, and email
2. A description of what your nonfiction story would be about…in your description, please give a sense of the overall theme of the story and details regarding the personal journey you want to share with the world. Are you writing about a specific event and the affect it had on your life? Put yourself in the readers’ shoes…what would they take away from your story? Write as much about your story as you like.
3. 1-2 writing samples that demonstrate your style, tone and writing ability. You can submit nonfiction essays, journal entries, blog entries, or fiction pieces, but please, no poetry unless you can imagine writing a whole book in verse. Send your best stuff!
4. A couple of sentences describing the role writing plays in your life.