YAP Blog - Youth Advisory Program!

Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Hey, it’s Emily!

As some of you may know, September was Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Just one month later, a student at my high school lost her yearlong battle to ovarian cancer at the young age of nineteen. She was an avid volleyball player and the captain of her high school team. She is remembered by many for having a sweet personality - the type of girl who could brighten your darkest day. I personally never knew her, but I did know many who had been touched by her. Just hearing her story and watching as thousands of people came to support a volleyball game in her honor showed me how important she was to so many people.

Ovarian cancer is very, very, rare in women under the age of 40, but it's important to know something about it and how to lower your risk. I learned that there are five things you can do to lower your risk of getting most kinds of cancer. They include: 1. Not smoking, 2. Limiting alcohol, 3. Exercising for 30 - 60 minutes 5 or more days a week, 4. Eating a healthy diet, and 5. Seeing your health care provider for regular check-ups.

Facts:

• Ovarian Cancer is NOT prevented by the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine helps prevent cancer of the cervix.
• A Pap test is used to detect cervical cancer, not ovarian cancer.
• Ovarian cancer can run in families.
• Early symptoms may include; bloating in the belly area, trouble eating, and/or feeling full quickly, frequent urination, lower back pain, and fatigue.
• Ovarian cancer is diagnosed with blood tests and an ultrasound.
• Birth control pills decrease your risk of developing ovarian cancer; the longer you take them the more protection against ovarian cancer.
• It is important to check in with your health care provider annually and when you are not feeling well.
• Learn about your family history. Just because your aunt had ovarian cancer, doesn’t mean you will get it, it just means that you and your doctor should be aware that this type of cancer runs in your family.
• The #1 way to prevent cancer is never starting to smoke!

-Emily

Digital Enhancement = Not Cool

Hey it’s Emily!

Just about every piece of advertising that we come in contact with has pictures that have been photoshopped. It is very hard nowadays for girls to be able to tell whether or not a computer program has been used to shave off some pounds to make a model look “perfect”, or if the girl’s body is really her own. This not only puts a lot of pressure on teen girls because they want to be beautiful, it's gotten so bad that the models are feeling the pressure as well. Technology has become so advanced that body parts from one girl can be cut and pasted on another with ease.

In reaction to this craziness, France has proposed a new law which would require a label when an image is digitally enhanced. I totally agree with this law. Girls need to know the truth about the pictures they see in magazines, or they will continue to have unrealistic expectations about their own body image. Girls should also understand that it’s okay to have a curvy upper body, or a body with no curves at all. Young women come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Our world would be too similar if everyone looked the same.

Click here to watch a video from the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty that shows step-by-step how a normal looking girl is unrealistically transformed into a "model", using makeup and computer tools.

Here is our guide on self-esteem and body image.

-Emily

Remembering 9/11

 

Can you believe that 8 years have gone by since 9/11? I remember it like it was yesterday. I was only in fifth grade when I was called to the office for early dismissal. Of course I was surprised, because I hadn’t been in school for more than an hour when I was called to leave. But as a fifth grader, getting picked up early from school was fine with me - no questions asked. Moments later my father told me that I was being picked up because of a terrorist attack in New York. I was only about 10 years old, so the fact that there was a terrorist attack didn’t really faze me. I lived in Boston and had no family members traveling or working in the twin towers, so what was there to worry about? I was just excited and felt special because my father picked me up from school early.

Like so many others, the anniversary of 9/11 brings back memories about what I was doing on that tragic day. For me, 9/11 is a reminder of the time when my uncle was still alive. I remember sitting down with him on the couch early that morning and watching the news. The days that I got to spend time with him ended two months later when he passed away. I didn’t lose anyone in the 9/11 attacks, and at that time I didn’t realize its importance, but 8 years later as a freshman in college, I definitely do. I sympathize deeply with those that lost family members in the attack. Even though 8 years have passed by, the pain of losing someone must still be very difficult. The important thing to remember is that even though you may miss someone you have lost, you can still keep their memories alive in your heart.

-Erica

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

On Saturday, I travelled from Boston to Virginia by car for a family vacation. Some of the things that made the nine hour drive better were the air conditioner and lots and lots of water. At one point while stuck in traffic in Maryland, I started to notice how many water bottles had piled up around me and how many other cars were on the road blasting their AC’s. In this summer heat, it’s tempting to abuse our air conditioners and take as many water bottles as we need. It’s important to remember, though, that some of the methods we use to stay cool can be harmful to the environment.

Here are a few tips that will help to reduce your carbon footprint.

Use AC only when you really need it. Make sure you turn it off when you’re not around.

Keep the lights off during the day. If there’s sun streaming in the windows, there’s no need for them to be on and the lights might even make the room hotter.

Walk or ride your bike. If you’re not traveling too far, these options are good forms of exercise. Trains, busses, and other forms of public transportation are all good alternatives to cars, as well.

Use a BPA-free “reusable” water bottle instead of buying the plastic throw away bottles of water. They are very trendy right now and come in all different shapes, sizes and designs. 


That’s all for now! Stay cool (and eco-friendly)!
-Julie

 

OMG: Txtin’ & drivin’ i$n’t so gr8

Hey it’s Emily,

Everyone loves having a license and the freedom that goes with it, but driving comes with a lot of responsibility. Caring for your safety and the safety of others is extremely important when you are driving a car. Even if you are feeling confident with your driving abilities, no one is talented enough to text and drive without losing focus. I know that many of us may be guilty of texting while driving, but what we may not be aware of is the life threatening risks that come along with it.

Along with the car radio, cell phones are one of our main distractions while driving. Texting while driving can be one of the most deadly combinations when drivers get behind the wheel. Last year 21% of all fatal car crashes that involved teen drivers were caused because of texting and driving. Some states are now enforcing laws banning texting behind the wheel, carrying fines up to 750 dollars and the possibility of losing your license. Without a license you will lose the freedom of being independent, and how uncool would it be if you have to wait for mom and dad to drive you around? Answering a text can wait - your life and the lives of others are way more important.

Here are a few driving safety tips:

1. Turn your phone off while you're driving.

2. If you're riding with a friend, let them read and reply to your text messages for you.

3. If you're not comfortable with having your phone turned off, silence it to avoid a distraction from the ringer.

4. If you MUST read a text, pull over safely and leave your hazard lights on.

Click here for more information about the dangers of texting and driving. 

Mass based design studio Alphabetica designed the poster pictured above. They are going to print and distribute all of these PSAs to public and private high schools across the US – free of charge. Every public high school in Boston, San Francisco, and Orange County Florida has agreed to display these posters for all to see. These posters will be going out later this summer in time for the new school year.

 

 

Nonviolence

It’s Ty!

I am happy to announce that I am now certified in nonviolence (I have a certificate and all). This summer I had the opportunity to attend “Upward Bound” at Regis College for 4 weeks, where I took a course on nonviolence. As soon as I set foot in the class, I wanted to switch out immediately. I had a nonchalant mindset, and a bad attitude towards learning about something that I was never exposed to. I wondered why I had to take a class about something so pointless. And now, at the end of this 4 week course, I am glad that I had such a great opportunity. I never appreciated the value of learning about nonviolence, especially because the community I live in is the opposite of nonviolent. Now I realize that all it takes is one person to start spreading the theme of nonviolence, and I plan to start it. I can teach someone who can teach someone else and pretty soon many people will have knowledge on nonviolence. My favorite principle of nonviolence is principle #6: accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause. This is true for a lot of us who have suffered from retaliation in our communities. Hopefully I will be able to teach nonviolence and inspire others to start learning about it. I am so glad that I got this opportunity and I encourage everybody to become certified in nonviolence training, you will truly feel better about yourself.

You can check out our Anger Management Guide for Teens, by clicking here.

 

 

Think Before You Ink

Last week, eighteen year old Kimberley Vlaminck sued her tattoo artist after receiving fifty-six stars tattooed on her face. Kimberely, who insists on having asked for just three stars, claims to have fallen asleep while being tattooed, waking up with much more than she bargained for. While this must have been a scary experience for the young girl, there are a few parts of the story that are unclear. How can someone sleep through the pain of a tattoo on a very sensitive part of their body? And on their face? Maybe Kimberley made a spontaneous, uninformed choice when she asked for her tattoos and wasn’t ready for the consequences. It’s important to remember that getting a tattoo is a serious decision that should be well thought out and discussed with your family. Tattoos are permanent, and can cost up to thousands of dollars to remove. If this is what happened to Kimberley, it’s understandable that she may be regretting her decision now. As of now, the tattoo artist has agreed to pay for half the cost of laser tattoo removal, but even that will leave scars.

 

-Julie, CYWH Summer Writing Intern

 

 

Let’s talk about … Texts???

It’s Ty!

 

So, there is a big controversy going on about sexting. I know many of you have heard about it either on the news or from your friends. But for those of you who don’t know, sexting is when you send sexually explicit pictures of yourself or someone else, via text message. Some people are doing this to gain attention from boys, or because they find it “sexy”. Whatever the reason may be, sexting is not cute, and if it gets in the wrong hands, your once private pictures may be available for the world to see. If you are under 18 and send inappropriate pics of yourself, you and whoever views them are violating the law. Taking and sending nude photographs of minors is considered "child pornography" and sending inappropriate pics is considered "pornographic production and distribution" which is a felony. So, have respect for yourself and don't get involved with sexting and if someone says, "send me a picture of your _____"(what your mama gave you), ignore them or tell them that you respect your body much more than that AND besides you're not looking to get arrested for pornography distribution. Remember, if any inappropriate pictures are sent to your phone, delete them immediately.

 

-Ty

 

 

Teen Dating & Violence

It's Ty,

So we all know about the whole situation with the pop superstars Chris Brown and Rihanna. Regardless of what the tabloids may say, domestic violence is not okay and it should not be condoned in any way, shape, or form. Nobody deserves to be verbally or physically abused. In a survey conducted by channel 4 news, most teens said that it was Rihanna’s fault that she was hit, and that she must have provoked him. This just shows that teens are trying to find excuses for teen dating violence. But, the reality is, there are NO excuses!

If you are in a relationship where you feel unsafe or threatened, get out of it immediately, do not stick around. And for all my boys, putting your hands on a female does not make you “cool”, nor does it make you a man. So if you feel like you are about to say or do something that may be harmful to your significant other, walk away and cool off, and realize the mistake that you are about to make. Just like Chris Brown, you will never be able to fully live this down. The same goes for the ladies as well. Though it may sound weird, women can be just as abusive as men can.

If you have any questions about safety in your relationship, visit our guide online at: youngwomenshealth.org/safety_in_relat.html.

-Ty

Spring & Summer Opportunities

The recession has slowly started to affect us all, even teens. Many people have been laid off, which means that they may need to cut back on some of their expenses. As a teen, you may not feel the effects of the recession as much as adults do, but that doesn’t change reality. The truth is that we are in a recession, and we should be more considerate about the things we spend our money on.

As a teen, my life involves hanging out with friends, going shopping, going to the movies, etc. I’m not saying that doing these things are bad, and I’m also not saying to never do these things. However, there are a lot of other activities out there that are far more productive, and there are some cheap and even FREE ones that you might not be aware of.

One great resource available to help you find opportunities for the summer is bostonyouthzone.com. You could work for a food project, or receive free lifeguard lessons from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). This training will enable you to become a lifeguard, and for a summer job, it pays very well. Another great paid opportunity is helping with the US census. You can apply by clicking this link, or by calling 1-866-861-2010.

During April vacation there’s going to be a free Photoshop Boot Camp with the ICA Boston. Some opportunities just for girls include: participating in an all girls sports festival, working for Teen Voices magazine as a peer editor, and more.

For more information on all of these opportunities including events that are happening throughout the month of April, take a look at the April Youth Resources & Opportunities Newsletter at bostonyouthzone.com.

*Erica