Stress Reduction Tips for High Schoolers

Check out this article from Minnesota Public Radio News about Stress Reduction Tips in Schools.  Provides great insight for teaching students tips and working with the potentially stressed out lives of certain students.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/npr.php?id=132630439

World Without Genocide: Summer Institute for Students

This might be of interest for some older high school students:

Taking a Stand against Genocide and Hate:
Rwanda, Congo, and Gender-Based Violence
Summer High School Institute
August 16-18, 2011

Prejudice, discrimination, hate, and violence plague our schools, our communities, and the world.
World Without Genocide is hosting a three-day summer institute for high school juniors and seniors to learn about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda; the spillover into Congo in a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of more than five million people; and continued violence, particularly against women and girls, today.
The focus of the institute is to enable students to stand up for human rights both globally and locally. On a global level, participants will learn how to advocate for innocent people in conflict zones around the world. Locally, many Minnesota students face homophobia and xenophobia in school-based bullying. Institute participants will learn skills to create a school environment in which everyone matters - and everyone matters equally.
The Institute will include a genocide survivors’ panel; training by organizations that develop youth leadership; presentations by representatives of the Marshall-Brennan Fellows at William Mitchell College of Law, Center for Victims of Torture, and the American Refugee Committee; and book and film excerpts. The Institute will conclude with a student-led program for invited mayors, council members, and human rights commissioners to advocate for the prevention of prejudice, discrimination, and violence.
For more information and to register, please go to www.worldwithoutgenocide.org/Institute

Free Lecture TODAY

I know this is REALLY short notice, but if you've got time in your schedule today, you're invited to a free lecture by the Konopka Institute!

Adolescence: What’s RISK got to do with it?

Busting the Stereotype that Teens Underestimate Risk

Speaker: Clea McNeely, MA, DrPH

When: TODAY January 5, 2011, from 11:30 am — 1:00 pm

Where: MN Department of Health, Snelling Office Park

1645 Energy Park Drive – Red River Room

Feel free to bring your own lunch and they'll provide dessert!

No need to RSVP

*Thanks to Matt for posting this on the YCC facebook page

Teen Voice

Last year, the SEARCH Institute and Best Buy teamed up to explore the importance of teen motivation and engagement in civic life. They found that only seven percent of 15 year-olds in the U.S. experience a strong combination of three key factors critical to their success. Titled Teen Voice 2009: The Untapped Strengths of 15-Year-Olds, the national survey of 1,817 15-year olds found that a majority of these teens lacked high levels of each of the concepts: “sparks,” “teen voice,” and “relationships and opportunities.”

Click here for the entire research study.

How Realistic is College Access?

I know we're encouraging our students and our youth groups to attend college, but I hope we're preparing them for the reality of paying for their education. There was a CNBC special on, on December 21st that highlighted America's mounting debt crisis. If you have some downtime this holiday weekend, make sure you take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with what they're anticipating will be the 'next big bubble to burst.'

Disordered: Thy Name is Teenager

Everyone mark your calendars for Friday March 11th, because MN YIPA and the Mentoring Partnership of MN will be presenting a phenomenal afternoon (1:00-3:30pm) training on issues relating to, and impacting teenagers in America today. Disordered is a play that is written and performed by teens working with the Blank Slate Theatre. It is a mixture of spoken word with acting out monologues of various different characters who are coping with some of the common struggles faced by American teens. The cast will talk about various disorders such as depression, OCD, Anxiety, eating disorders, ODD and ADHD, as they pertain to their daily lives. We will have the honor of watching the play LIVE, and will follow it up with a brief Q&A session and discussion. This production aims to bring a perspective on teenagers that the media often ignores: that teens, like adults, suffer with mental disorders.

The location and cost of this performance are TBD, so please stay tuned for more information! For now, I'll leave you with the official trailer, which will hopefully entice you to consider joining us for this wonderfully unique opportunity.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, ALL!

"Hear Us Out": Students Talk about the Realities of College Access

This is a great study conducted entirely by high school students about college access and success from the student point of view. An interesting read for anyone interested in student access to higher education. Kudos for the all work many of you already do on this important issue!