Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 7 (January 2010). Holocaust Memorial Day By Casey (Cas*) We see it even today, over sixty years later, in diaries, in newspaper articles, in memorials, and in novels. We see references to it in plays, in Broadway shows, in dances, and in songs. We talk to our grandparents and great-grandparents to hear their take on the situation happening at large in their own youth. Whether or not this terrifying situation, this Holocaust, as it is now...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 7 (January 2010). A Year in the Eyes of TeenHelp By Jessie (Asylum) The now-infamous “TeenHelp data loss” of December 2008 seems like ancient history to many of us. And to countless TeenHelp users it is something they have only heard about, mentioned in passing or found hidden on the TeenHelp History page, lost among happier landmarks, like reaching 5,000 members and new systems opening. But rewriting a decade of scripts and rules, rebuilding...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 6 (December 2009). The Holidays: From Creation to Commercialization By Katrina It's that time again! In 2009, the holidays are a time of waking up at wee hours of the morning to go shopped for loved ones, a time of resting from school or work and drinking eggnog or hot chocolate, a time of painting your nose red and dressing up like a reindeer to go door to door and collect donations for the Salvation Army, and a time of the sheer smiles...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 6 (December 2009). The Benefits of Yoga By Katrina and Maria (Gidig) Salutations, everyone! As we've all learned by this point in our lives, stress, especially that comes with the holidays, can be overbearing; one can nearly be attacked by the strength of stress at times. Around this time of year, our homes can be hectic with Great-Aunt Eleanor coming to stay for a week. We feel rushed to find the money for presents, food and other...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 6 (December 2009). How Do You Deal With the Changing Face of Bullies? by Sian Morgan This year, National Anti-Bullying week shines a spotlight on the fastest growing face of bullying: cyberbullying. Basically, this means using information and communication technology to deliberately upset someone else. It includes bullying via mobile phones, instant messaging, emails, blogs, Twitter, websites, chatrooms, message boards, Virtual...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 6 (December 2009). Activism Against AIDS by Stephanie (Konstantine) Each year, on the 1st December, World AIDS Day takes place. The aim of the day is to create a larger awareness of AIDS (Acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and the spread of the HIV infection which causes this, as well as attempting to raise money, tackle related prejudice and improve education upon the subject. It is traditional for the President of the United States to...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 6 (December 2009). Socialism by Casey (Cas*) Due to a misunderstanding of political parties and past events, there are currently a significant amount of negative opinions toward socialism. Many people wrongly relate socialism to National Socialism, commonly known as Nazism; although National Socialism might have had some socialist ideals, it is also mostly focused on race, socialist is not about race. By definition, socialism boils down to...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 6 (December 2009). Angel Tree by Katrina Twenty-seven years ago, Mary Kay Beard, who was on America's Most Wanted at the time and serving a 180-year sentence at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Alabama had a change of heart near Christmas time as she served her sentence. Outsiders would bring the inmates small soaps and toiletries, and rather than keeping these for personal use, many of the inmates wrapped them up as gifts for their...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 5 (November 2009). Take Back the Night by Katrina November's Cause of the Month, Take Back the Night, got it's start in the late '70s as victims, but more importantly, survivors, of sexual abuse got together with their friends and family to raise awareness about the pressing issue. Earlier on (or 'In the beginning' or 'At its start'), the events focused mainly on different local unsafe areas and how to make them safer. Throughout the 70s,...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 4 (October 2009). To Write Love on Her Arms by Katrina October's Cause of the Month is To Write Love on Her Arms, another cause close to the hearts of the large majority of TeenHelp users. As a group of young people, many of whom have struggled with self harm and addiction ourselves, we are truly able to connect with such a modern, accepting movement of love: "You were created to love and be loved. You were meant to live life in...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 3 (September 2009). Operation Beautiful by Katrina This cause of the month, Operation Beautiful, has become close to the hearts of many TeenHelpers since it became popular around the forums over the past few weeks. Operation Beautiful began when a twenty-five year old blogger, Caitlin, became fed up with what is referred to as "Fat Talk." Fat Talk is basically when women say or think negative things about their bodies. Fat Talk, and the...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 2 (August 2009). Veterans Airlift Command by Katrina With many injured war veterans coming home each and every day, this month TeenHelp's Cause of the Month is a phenomenal organization called Veterans Airlift Command. Unfortunately, there are many current and former soldiers who need medical assistance but do not have a means of transportation from state to state, or country to country. Furthermore, there are also many families of...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 1 (July 2009). She Dances by Katrina With the release of volume three, Avatar will now contain a monthly, noteworthy cause that the editors feel is sometimes unrecognized, unknown, but utterly unique. We hope "Cause of the Month" will raise awareness for these great causes, the purpose of these movements, and the visions that started them all. "Every girl deserves to dream. Every girl deserves hope. Every girl deserves to love and to be...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 5 (November 2009). National Novel Writing Month By Nat (Strider) New Years is a time to set personal goals, but November is the month to step forward and achieve your personal goal of writing. November hosts National Novel Writing Month, a great way to embark on a creative journey and express yourself in ways you would not have thought possible, as well as have a lot of fun. Chris Baty founded NaNoWriMo just over ten years ago, giving...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 5 (November 2009). Lung Cancer and Smoking by Jessie Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, killing over one million people each year. This cancer is most prevalent in North America and Europe, and among people ages fifty and older with a history of smoking. In fact, lung cancer was rare before cigarette smoking became popular. November is Lung Cancer Awareness month, and each year on the third Thursday of November the...