Newsletter #9 - New volunteer roles; holiday safety and health; developing parenting skills.

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TeenHelp Newsletter #9 - December 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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From the Newsletter Editors, we wish you and your family safe and wonderful holidays!

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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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Videos Team (December 13th 2010 onwards)

This month sees the addition of TeenHelp's newest voluntary position, the Videos Team. This team will consist of dedicated users, led by a Staff member, who will work to keep the Videos section up-to-date by reviewing and choosing new videos on a regular basis. If you are interested in being a part of the team, follow the link below to find out more information and apply.

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

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

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

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ParentChannel.tv

ParentChannel.tv is an online service designed to help parents of children of all ages. The website delivers most of its content in the form of videos, which offers guidance to parents and helps to answer many of the day-to-day questions on how to help children with their behaviour, learning and well-being. Hot topics are highlighted on the home page, and an Editor's Blog is also featured to keep readers up-to-date with news items surrounding parenting.

http://www.parentchannel.tv

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Child Care Aware

Based in America, Child Care Aware is a useful and reliable resource for parents seeking high-quality child care. Their website includes an "ask the expert" feature, newsletters and articles aimed to help parents choose the right care for their child. For those in America, they also offer tools to find child care and other local services near you.

http://www.childcareaware.org

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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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Getting through a snowy day!

Many places around the world are getting hit with snow, so what can you do on a snowy day? Here are a few ideas to keep yourself busy.

• Be productive and clean, do laundry, or organise your room!
• Catch up on homework.
• Earn some extra money by offering to shovel neighbours' paths and driveways.
• Go outside to toboggan, have a snowball fight, or build a snowman.
• Have some fun! Play an old board game, go through photo albums, start a scrapbook, or have a family movie night.

For more ideas on what to do on snow days, please visit: http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f32-chit-chat/

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How to keep healthy during the winter

The cold dark days draw in, people around you start to get colds, and you know it's winter. How do you avoid becoming unwell? Here are some tips to help you stay healthy this season.

• Keep the house at a good temperature (around 18–21°C or 64–70°F) and open windows on nice days to circulate the air and to remove stale air in the house.
• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water for at least twenty seconds. Ensure you're washing for long enough by singing a childhood rhyme to yourself.
• Get plenty of sleep to allow your body to repair itself. The average amount of sleep needed for a teenager is eight to ten hours.
• Maintain a healthy diet rich in nutrients including fruit and vegetables to help boost your immune system.
• Exercise in moderation, even if you don't feel like it, as this helps to generate endorphines which can strengthen the immune system, and will keep you warm too!

For additional advice on how to stay healthy during the winter months, please visit: http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f16-general-health/

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Staying safe during the holidays

With Christmas and the New Year right around the corner, we cannot wait to have a break from school and just relax with family and friends. Here are a few tips on how to stay safe and enjoy the holidays!

• Keep all gifts out of plain sight to prevent any unwelcome visitors in your home.
• If you plan on travelling during the holidays, make sure to take it easy in the snow and be cautious of other drivers. Always allow yourself plenty of time to arrive safely at your destination.
• Planning on celebrating the New Year at a party? If you said 'yes', then have a designated driver to get you home once the party is over.
• Make sure you have a charged phone, blanket, water, a flashlight (torch), and jumper cables in your car in case of emergency.

If you would like to receive more help on safety, please visit: http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f219-lifestyle/

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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

What does Christmas mean to you?
As we grow older we learn that Christmas isn't always about the presents, so tell us what's important to you this time of the year!
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f39-r...tmas-mean-you/

Should we encourage our children to believe in Santa Claus?
Many children are taught about Santa when they are younger. This thread presents a range of views on whether this is right or wrong.
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f38-c...e-santa-claus/

Family meal gatherings
'Tis the season to get together with family! What do your family meals consist of?
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f184-...athery-things/

Christmas Songs
The holidays can be stressful, but listening to upbeat and uplifting Christmas music can help to improve your mood.
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f224-...as-songs-%3Dd/

Christmas Movies!
Are you looking for a movie to add some fun and magic to your Christmas? If so, check out this thread for some ideas.
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f223-...istmas-movies/

Post a picture of your Christmas tree!
Decorations are one of the many fun things about Christmas, so get in the spirit and share your tree with us!
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f36-p...hristmas-tree/

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Articles

Angel Tree
This heart-warming story shows how one mother helped the families of those incarcerated during the holiday season.
http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f202-...20-angel-tree/

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Upcoming events

Discussion: Anxiety (Saturday December 18th 2010)

Anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways, from acute phobias to complicated patterns of debilitating fear. This discussion will help you to share and develop coping mechanisms, combat your fears and learn to help others living with anxiety.

Christmas! (Saturday December 25th 2010)

Discussion: Dealing with triggers (Saturday January 1st 2011)

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.

Discussion: Pregnancy and childcare (Saturday January 8th 2011)

Being pregnant, giving birth and raising a child are all challenging! You may never know what to fully expect during pregnancy, or while a child is growing up, but join us for this discussion and have some of your questions answered or share your knowledge.

Discussion: Dealing with pressure (Saturday January 15th 2011)

Pressure can be difficult to cope with, but whether it's from parents, school, work, or friends, you are not alone. At this discussion, you can meet others who are under pressure, learn how they cope, and pass on tips of your own!

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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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: Haley (Halcyon)
Support Editor: Jessie

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