Newsletter #3 - Having a healthy summer.

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TeenHelp Newsletter #3 - June 15th 2010 - http://www.teenhelp.org

Welcome to the TeenHelp Newsletter! Our Newsletter contains a lot of useful information about our current work, including updates to our site and services, work with our partners and affiliates, details of upcoming events, short bits of advice, interesting links and more!

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TeenHelp regularly makes changes to its site and services. Some of these are large and noticeable, and others are small and much less so, but each one contributes to the positive development of TeenHelp and how our users experience our community. Below are some of the most recent developments.

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Facilitator feedback form (June 5th 2010)

We think it's important that all of our services are focused around the young people we're supporting and representing. Anybody who has been to one of our Facilitated Chat Room Discussions (FCRDs) may know that this is not always the case. Sometimes discussions can get quite hectic and not cover all of the issues that somebody wanted them too. To help combat these issues we have created a form that allows FCRD attendees to send us their comments, whether good or bad, about the discussion itself or the facilitator who led it. We can use this information to help shape future discussions more effectively for you.

http://www.teenhelp.org/chat/discussions/feedback

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New donation incentive (May 31st 2010)

TeenHelp offers a range of benefits for those who donate money to us. We now offer an additional incentive that will likely be of interest to those of you who spend more time in the Chat Room than elsewhere on our site. The "Chat increase" incentive gives you more text formatting options, text styling, and the ability to post longer messages, all in the Chat Room.

http://www.teenhelp.org/donate/

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Volunteer page (May 23rd 2010)

We have recently introduced a new Volunteer page. As TeenHelp is run solely by volunteers, they are a vital part of our community, and it's important that information about our increasingly diverse range of positions is easily accessible to potential volunteers. As the number of opportunities has grown, we are aware that information has become relatively scattered around our site, so this page aims to consolidate that information into simple points that are easy to understand. This page currently describes our main volunteering positions, and will provide a very good platform by which we can continue to expand our volunteer team.

http://www.teenhelp.org/volunteer/

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Associate Staff (May 23rd 2010)

This month saw the arrival of two new Staff positions; Associate HelpLINK Mentors, and Associate Live Help Operators. These positions are essentially the same as their full Staff equivalents, though there are some differences. While an Associate Staff member will not have access to certain pieces of sensitive information, and will be less recognized on TeenHelp, they can still claim volunteering time, and if needed, receive a written reference from us. The positions are aimed largely at unregistered users, as a way of expanding our volunteering team, and the advice they can offer; however, registered users are also welcome to apply. For more information visit our Volunteer page or Staff Applications system.

http://www.teenhelp.org/apply/

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Facilitators (May 23rd 2010)

As you may be aware, each week TeenHelp runs discussions in the Chat Room, which are run by 'facilitators', who are usually members of the TeenHelp Staff team. However, we have recently introduced a way for non-Staff members to get involved with running the Facilitated Discussions too. How can you become a facilitator, you ask? Well, it's easy! Just show up to the discussions, take part, and make yourself noticed. If the facilitator thinks you are a good candidate they might recommend you to us, and then we will ask you to fill out a short application form.

http://www.teenhelp.org/chat/discussions/

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TeenHelp works with a range of different organisations and websites in order to help and educate young people. Below are some of our most recent affiliations. For a full list of the organisations we work with, please visit our Resources page.

http://www.teenhelp.org/resources/

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Empowering Parents

TeenHelp is currently exploring a potential partnership with Empowering Parents, an online community with very similar aims and objectives to TeenHelp. Empowering Parents offer very similar features to us, but each of them are geared towards the parents of young people instead of young people themselves. Among these features are a forum, articles and audio podcasts, which each provide useful techniques and solutions for parents. Their site will help to give you a better perspective of the issues your parents go through.

http://www.empoweringparents.com/

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Free To Be Me

Free To Be Me is a site for people who think they are gay or lesbian. They help young people to understand same sex attraction, and make the choices that are right for them. In particular they focus on people whose feelings might conflict with their beliefs (e.g. religion) and how to constructively deal with these unwanted feelings. They strongly believe that everybody should be able to explore their own identity and make the choices for themselves, rather than having labels pushed upon them by others.

http://www.freetobeme.com/

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Each month we share small bits of practical advice that you can implement to improve your life or that of others.

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Sun protection

It is that time of the year: school is out and we have nice, warm weather. However, spending too much time in the sun can be dangerous for your health. Here are a few tips to protect yourself.

• Slip: Slip on a shirt to protect your body.
• Slop: Slop on some sunblock that's at least 15 SPF or higher to protect yourself from UV rays.
• Slap: Slap on a good hat with a rim to protect your head, neck and ears.
• Seek: Seek shade to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun.
• Slide: Slide on a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes.

We hope you have fun in the sun!

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Headache prevention

Headaches are a common health issue that affect everybody. Some ways you can minimise your risk of getting them are:

• Avoid working in an area that is not well lit.
• If you need glasses or contact lenses, wear them.
• Get enough sleep each night.

If you have a headache, here are some ways to help deal with them:

• Take analgesics (pain killers).
• Massage your temples.
• Put an ice pack on your head.
• Take two banana peels and put them on your forehead.

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Sleep

With all the stress of exams it can be tempting to try and revise late into the night. However, you should remember that sleep is necessary for recharging the brain, and repairing your body. It's especially important if you want to do your best! Some tips on how to achieve a good nights' rest are:

• Avoid alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes.
• Exercise during the day, not just before you go to bed.
• Don't get distracted by music, phones or your TV.
• Avoid eating within 1-2 hours of going to bed.
• Get into a routine; attempt to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

If you would like further advice about any of these issues, please be sure to visit our General Health forum, where we are always happy to help you out. http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f16-general-health/

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A lot of content is posted to TeenHelp every single day, from threads to articles, social groups to albums. But it is difficult for even the most veteran user to keep on top of it all, so we have selected a few items from among the masses that we thought were interesting to draw your attention to.

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Threads

Smoothies
With summer just around the corner, this link includes some great recipes and ideas for the perfect summer smoothie!
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f184-...656-smoothies/

Finally making it good
If you enjoy reading inspirational recovery stories, then check out this story about overcoming difficulties with friends and self harm.
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f30-r...y-making-good/

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Articles

Improving and maintaining good grades
School is almost over for the year, but remember to keep on working! This article contains some great advice for keeping on top of your grades.
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f87-e...g-good-grades/

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Videos

LGBT
June is LGBT Pride Month. Here are some videos about coming out to friends and family, how to accept yourself, and how to deal with homophobic abuse.
http://www.teenhelp.org/videos/lgbt_...nder_identity/

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Upcoming events

Discussion: Relationships (Saturday June 19th 2010)

Relationships have their ups and downs. Whether it is a family member, friend, or a significant other, this discussion will help you to answer any questions you may have.

Discussion: Eating disorders (Saturday June 26th 2010)

Eating Disorders are a big problem for many young people today. This discussion will explore alternatives, solutions and ways to seek help for this issue.

Discussion: Getting work done - avoiding procrastination (Saturday July 3rd 2010)

Procrastination can get in the way of finishing work or doing important tasks. This discussion will help you learn how to plan out your schedule to avoid doing it all at the last minute.

Discussion: Dealing with triggers (Saturday July 10th 2010)

Triggers are anything that reminds you of negative feelings or makes you want to perform unhealthy or dangerous behaviours. Often these are unavoidable parts of life and are tough to deal with on your own. This discussion will help you learn to control any urges the triggers may cause and how to prevent them from affecting you.

For more information about upcoming Facilitated Chat Room Discussions (FCRDs), and the times that these discussions will take place, please visit our FCRD page.

http://www.teenhelp.org/chat/discussions/

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Avatar is now out

Avatar is TeenHelp's very own monthly magazine. Each month we publish a series of high quality articles and other content produced by TeenHelp users. Highlights of the June issue include: Articles about scoliosis, National HIV Testing Day and how to pick the right college or university; as well as advice from the Editors on a number of problems, our support for Faceless International, and many other great pieces. This issue is also the last issue of Volume 3. Be sure to check out Volume 4, which starts July 1st!

June 2010: http://www.teenhelp.org/avatar_files/2010/June2010.pdf
Avatar page: http://www.teenhelp.org/avatar/

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Donate to TeenHelp

In order to continue providing free services to young people around the world, TeenHelp requires a constant income of voluntary donations to support our regular costs. If you are able to, we ask that you please donate any money you can to us, even if it's only a few dollars.

http://www.teenhelp.org/donate/

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Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Our Facebook and Twitter pages are a great place to get a lot of high-quality information. We aim to connect you to interesting organisations, volunteering opportunities, events, news stories, pictures, videos, and more!

Facebook: http://www.teenhelp.org/facebook
Twitter: http://www.teenhelp.org/twitter

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Editorial team

Editor-in-Chief: Rob
Deputy Editor: Briana
Assistant Editor: Brittany (.Brittany.)
Assistant Editor: Jess (Unicorn.)

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