A new book for young girls recently landed in my inbox, and I wanted share it with all you Smart Girls out there. is described as “the go-to guide to life for young girls.”

What I like most about this book, besides the colorful and magazine-like interior, is that it was conceived of and co-written by a teen herself, 14 year old Brittany MacLeod. Brittany teamed up with her mom Terri to enlist more than 100 people (some famous, some not) to contribute their expertise and teen survival tips.

The book covers every imaginable topic, including things like: how to cope with bullying, mean girls, and gossip, tips for becoming involved, how-to’s for budgeting, body image advice, and how to communicate with parents.

To find out more and watch a video about the book, visit the website!

A few months ago, I blogged about the cool, inspirational documentary Girls Rock! which chronicled the life-changing experience of girls learning to channel their inner rock star at the camp by the same name.

Well, if you dream of being the next Gwen or Fergie or better yet, Alison Iraheta, or maybe you just want to grow as a person, bond with other cool girls, and learn a thing or two about music and collaboration, it’s not too late to sign up for a Girls’ Rock camp. Here are the details by city:

• Portland (the original camp featured in the documentary) – just added a new summer session
• Seattle: Extended application deadline to June 5th (I’m planning to participate in this camp!)
• Washington, DC: Offering a last-chance camp sign-up this Sunday, May 31st
• Memphis: Deadline for registering for the Delta Girls Rock Camp has been extended to June 1
• Austin: Still accepting applications
• Bay Area: Application deadline for second session is May 29th
• Atlanta: Still accepting applications
• Columbus, OH: Still accepting applications
• Peterborough, Ontario: Still accepting applications

Let me know if you’re planning to participate and want to write about your experiences for Smart Girls Know!

This week, teen social change organization Do Something honored five incredible social change agents as winners as their Do Something Awards. The awards recognize the difference these young people are making in the world, and gives each winner $10,000 to go towards the cause of their choice.

Each of the winners began their social change initiatives as teenagers, proving Do Something’s belief (and that of Smart Girls Know) that teenagers have the power to make a difference. Here is a quick look at the winners…I hope they inspire you the way they have me!

• Marvelyn Brown, age 24: The Marvelous Connections Tour – an activism tour about HIV/AIDS prevention and education. Marvelyn’s tour has resulted in more than 200,000 people getting tested for HIV.
• David Burstein, age 20: 18 in ’08 – a film and peer-to-peer effort to get 18 year olds to register to vote. This youth-run initiative contributed to the highest registration of 18-22 year old voters in history.
• Maggie Doyne, age 22: Kopila Valley Children’s Home – a children’s home for the most innocent victims of a decade-long civil war in Nepal. Maggie used her life-savings to buy the land and build the home following a graduation trip to Asia.
• Eric Glustrom, age 24: Educate! – a program that empowers the next generation of socially responsible leaders through scholarships, funding, leadership seminars, mentorships and more. Eric was inspired after a trip to film a documentary in Uganda at the age of 17.
• Darius Weems, age 19: Darius Goes West – a documentary Darius made about the realities of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy which has raised more than $1.6 million for research to find a cure.

Congratulations to all the winners! And to find out more, including how you apply for one of Do Something’s weekly $500 seed grants, visit the Do Something website.

A new study by Iowa State University claims that higher stress levels in teens can directly contribute to childhood obesity. The study identified teen “stressors” such as academic problems, consumption of drugs and alcohol, depression or poor mental health levels, acting out or aggressive behaviors, and lack of future plans, and said that teens with more of these “stressors” were more likely to be overweight and obese.

According to the study, 47% of teens in the sample were overweight or obese, but that percentage increased to 56.2 % among those who were impacted by four or more stressors.

What I find interesting, and somewhat confusing, about this study is that while the study calls things like low grades, aggressive behavior, and drug and alcohol use different causes of stress, it seems to me that these could also be seen as symptoms or results of stress.

As I wrote about my book for teens on stress-relief, Chill, teens are experiencing chronic stress in unprecedented levels, and this stress results in lots of different negative emotional, mental, and physical side-effects. That includes things like overeating (or undereating for that matter), as well as depression, distraction, lack of motivation, and engaging in risky behavior.

Whether they’re causes or results of stress, one thing is for certain – they’re all factors that play a role in the peace and balance today’s teens experience. And when one or more things is seriously off-balance, getting back on solid footing is easier said than done.

One of the keys to dealing with stress is knowing how it impacts us, since we all respond differently to stress. So, I’d like to challenge you to take a minute to think and write about your personal experience with stress by answering the following questions:

1. What is a stressful situation you have recently experienced?
2. How did your body respond to the stress? (ie: insomnia, depression, over-eating, etc.)
3. How did you feel as a result of that response?

Answer these same three questions for a variety of stressful situations, and soon you’ll start to see a pattern for the ways in which your body handles stress. Then, keep coming back to Smart Girls Know: in the coming weeks, I’ll be posting some of the stress-reducing techniques I offer up in Chill just for readers of this blog!

Many of you know I’ve been developing a teen-authored memoir series with HCI Books. It’s been an insanely busy few months as I’ve been working closely with the first three authors on finalizing their manuscripts, figuring out the interior and cover designs schemes with the publisher, and planning for a big series launch in August.

For those of you who played a role in helping us come up with the series name, thank you! I’m excited to announce that the series is officially called Louder Than Words. The series will premiere in early August with three books, each written by a different, amazingly-talented teen girl.

We’ve just finalized cover designs, so I wanted to give you a sneak peak…I hope you like them! I’ll be in touch with more scoop soon, including opportunities for giveaways and video blogs from the authors!

XO Debbie

As summer approaches, you may be on the hunt for a summer job. And if so, you may find that jobs are harder to come by this year. With the unemployment rate for adults at a 30-year high, many jobs traditionally scooped up by out-of-school teens are now being held by adults. And that’s leaving a whole bunch of teens without the means to make the extra cash they need.

So what are many teens choosing to do? Get creative.

A recent article in USA Today says that more and more teens today are choosing to be entrepreneurs and take charge of their financial reality. From the article:

“Kids are actively considering starting their own businesses,” says Junior Achievement USA President Jack Kosakowski.

“It might be out of necessity, since there aren’t a lot of jobs out there. But they’re also seeing parents and other adults that have been loyal to companies for years … getting laid off, so these kids might be thinking, ‘Hey, I might be better off being my own boss.’ “

When I was writing my book In Their Shoes: Extraordinary Women Describe Their Amazing Careers, I featured a profile of entrepreneur Missy Park, founder of the Title Nine sports apparel catalog and stores for women. Missy had a lot of inspiring words for aspiring entrepreneurs. But what I loved most about what she had to say had to do with fear and failure. Here’s an excerpt from our interview:

Me: Do you think that not being afraid is an important quality for someone who wants to be an entrepreneur?

Missy: I do, actually. A buddy of mind once said, “You know, I’ve seen all kinds of entrepreneurs – some of them are really extroverted, some are really introverted, some are super smart and some aren’t that smart at all, some are really good with people, some aren’t. The only thing I can say that they all have in common is that none of them really care about what other people think.” Yeah, it’s hard to fail, and I don’t like it, but I’m never thinking, Oh, I’ve failed and what do other people think? I’m like, Damn, I wish I hadn’t screwed that up, you know?

Me: Without having someone show you the ropes of starting a company, how did you know that you could make Title 9 work?

Missy: I didn’t. For the first three or four years, I’d resolve that we were going to quit at least once every six months. You know that saying, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it?” There were times when I was nervous and I had a ton of doubts, and that still continues now. But I think that mastering your fear can fuel you to focus on the right things. I think that a lot of girls hate making mistakes, and it just kills me. They’re so worried about making mistakes, it’s like, “Wow, if you don’t make mistakes, how are you going to learn?”

So, what does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? A great idea (or several), confidence (and as Missy says, a healthy dose of fear), a willingness to fail, the ability to think outside the box, and being extremely self-motivated.

Does that describe you? Then maybe being entrepreneur is for you! To find out more about how to be a a successful entrepreneur, check out Junior Achievement or The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship.

Hello Smart Gals!

I just found out about a video contest sponsored by Action for Healthy Kids and Students Taking Charge, a new national program to motivate and empower high school students to take action to improve nutrition and opportunities for physical activity in their school, and to help themselves and their peers learn to be healthier.

The contests challenges students in 9-12 grade to create a video that tells the world how your students, teachers, groups, activities or classes at your high school make it easy for students to be healthy. The videos should be between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, and can be made in any style you want. Oh yeah, and they also must include a “red apple.” (Don’t ask me . . . check out the website for all the details.)

Creators of the winning videos will receive cash prizes, and their school will receive a donation in support of healthy activities or nutritional programs. Deadline for submission is June 1.

Good luck!

When Vice President nominee Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol became the reluctant public face of teen pregnancy, she created quite the stir, sparking conversations on talk shows around the country about abstinence-only education, and how teen pregnancy affects all types of families.

At the time, Bristol was still with her boyfriend Levi, and the two were going to make a go at raising the child together, and hopefully get married. We know now that that’s not how things worked out, but Bristol is using her high-profile situation to hopefully prevent the same thing from happening to someone else.

The Candie’s Foundation just announced that Bristol is its new Teen Ambassador, and she’ll be participating in events during today’s National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in order to help raise awareness for teen pregnancy prevention.

“I feel that I could be a living example of the consequences of teen pregnancy. If I can prevent even one girl from getting pregnant, I will feel a sense of accomplishment,” said Bristol.

Here are some things you should know about teen pregnancy, courtesy of The Candie’s Foundation and Stay Teen:

Did you know that over 90% of teens believe that it’s important that they get a strong message about waiting to have sex? In fact, 60% of teens who have had sex wish they had waited longer and 75% don’t see anything embarrassing about admitting that they’re virgins. Clearly, teens in the 21st century are recognizing merit in putting off sex and the consequences – both physical and emotional – that are attached to sex.

Some things to keep in mind about waiting:
• Over half of all teens are not having sex, and of the half that are, most regret it and wish they had waited.
• Unfortunately, the half who aren’t sexually active sometimes think they’re the only ones because they’ve bought the #1 Sex Myth: everybody’s doing it.
• Moreover, some teens lie about having sex…when you think everybody’s doing it – and you know you’re not – lying can seem like the easiest option.
• We also know from surveys that boys show significant respect—though often unspoken—for girls who resist pressure to have sex and remain virgins.
• It’s hard to believe, but most first time sexual relationships are romantic but short-lived. Eight out of ten first time teen sexual relationships last 6 months or less and one-fourth are one-time occurrences.

Visit the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy here for more information and resources.

Girls Inc, the national nonprofit organization that helps girls be strong, smart, and bold, is celebrating Girls’ Rights Week, and that means they want you to think about this question: If all girls had their rights, how would the world be different? So, maybe you’re wondering what girls’ rights I’m referring to? Here’s the Girls Inc. Bill of Rights in support of gender equality:

• Girls have the right to be themselves and to resist gender stereotypes
• Girls have the right to express themselves with originality and enthusiasm
• Girls have the right to take risks, to strive freely, and to take pride in success
• Girls have the right to accept and appreciate their bodies
• Girls have the right to have confidence in themselves and be safe in the world
• Girls have the right to prepare for interesting work and economic independence

Here’s my answer to the question. If all girls had these rights, there would be less poverty, less war, less torture, more compassion, more passion, more understanding. Genocide would end, centuries-old conflicts would cease, and global warming would be stopped. Oh yeah, and girls would get to grow up feeling good about themselves, and know they have the power within them to create they life they want.

What do you think the world would look like if all girls had these rights?

Visit the Girls Inc. website to watch video clips of how other girls answered the question. And to read an interview with the fearless woman at the helm of Girls Inc, Executive Director Joyce Roche, check out my book In Their Shoes: Extraordinary Women Describe Their Amazing Careers!