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By Jennifer Uribe, Respect Rx Program Assistant

Overall, the crazy week we all went through at the Democratic National Convention was completely worth it for each and every one of us at Respect Rx, Jennifer Davidson, our partner at Reality Check Coaching, who co-facilitated with Court, and the film crew from Girls Rock! Productions. We partnered with the Girl Scouts of Colorado to deliver "Your Inner Leader" sessions for around 30 high school and college girls who attended the council's Building Leadership, Teaching Democracy Week. The girls were there to learn about the political process and their leadership power (even though we were observing the DNC, the Girl Scouts is non-partisan).

Personally, I could not have been more excited to be there, being 19 years old and having this election be my first I could fully participate in! I was hungry for politics, to learn everything I could and be able to connect with people who share my opinions in politics.

The girls started out by knowing little to almost nothing about one another. And by the end of the week there were so many tears and new friendships that were created which will always be remembered! One thing for sure is that spending my week with this great group of girls has changed me for the better. I came out feeling extremely inspired to go out and try to accomplish at least half of what all these brilliant young women have already completed.

Here's what went down during the week:

SUNDAY
While the girls were spending their time at the Molly Brown House, Davidson and I were unpacking and getting our materials ready for the rest of the week. Later that evening we met up with the girls at the Girl Scouts of Colorado’s main offices where we had a quick tour of the place. There, we got to see a neat performance by an Eleanor Roosevelt history presenter. It was as if she was the real thing right there in front of us! The thing that really stuck with me was that she said: “It is only through curiosity that you can learn.” I have always been a rather curious girl, myself. She also brought up a great point that will always help me when I am working with others. She asked “how do you arouse curiosity in others?” meaning that people must work to interest others in their passions. After that, dinner came and we all went to a Chinese restaurant where we had our first interaction with the girls. Our table was rambunctious because our girls were full of laughter and made jokes at every opportunity they got, it was fun! To close the night, Courtney and Davidson directed one of the best closing circles I have been in where everybody participated—adults and girls alike. Each person stated their stake and we joined hands to lock it in. My stake was: “To be able to affect every single person I meet in a positive way.”

MONDAY
After running up and down to get everything set-up correctly in the room, we finally had the girls coming in, a bit tired but ready for the next event of the day. I got to take pictures of the girls as they went through the “Take A Walk” activity and realized that everything girls go through—positive and negative—has a chain reaction effect. Then we shared ways we'd been disrespected and how it motivates us to make a big change in our world. It was such a powerful experience for me to witness. It was awesome to see how the girls all supported one another and really loved each other and were empowered by the activity. They named themselves the Lionesses! And in our closing circle each yelled “rawr!!” really fiercely.

TUESDAY
Our day started off with a presentation by Laurie A. Westley, Girl Scouts of the USA Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Advocacy & the Research Institute, talking about Advocacy programs and how girls can get involve around their communities and start their own programs. The girls also had a passionate discussion about public protest in response to Code Pink's protest the day before at the Unconventional Women Conference (which rocked!). Then came the inspirational speech by Hilary Clinton we were all waiting for. My favorite part of her speech was when she quoted Harriet Tubman:

If you hear dogs, keep going. If you see torches in the woods, just keep going. If they shout at you, keep going. Don’t ever stop, just keep going.

This is like our motto at Respect Rx: Keep going! Many girls thought Hillary Clinton “played it like she won” and stood in her power.

WEDNESDAY
Our kick-off activity of the day was “Discover Your Inner leader” and we began by defining the stereotypes of an “old” leader. The girls had a blast because at the end they got to run through the big poster they had created to bust through the old leadership model. After discussing the main issues they are all concerned with in small groups, they got to present their issues and solutions to the problems which were all very impressive! While in the middle of our activity, somebody came in the room and let us know Michelle Obama was in the Convention Center and about to speak in the Latino Caucus! We all gathered our stuff and literally ran to go hear her speak, which was totally worth it. What really caught me off guard was hearing Mrs. Obama say “Si Se Puede” in such a natural accent. She was incredibly inspirational, was clear about her stake and the issues she cared about. We were all so thankful to have been able to experience and learn from her leadership style—no matter what political party we belonged to.

Later on that evening after having dinner at the Hard Rock Café, we headed to The White House Project 10 Year Anniversary Party. We got to meet one of our idols, Marie C. Wilson, founder of The White House Project and Take Our Daughters To Work Day. All the girls looked great and we all participated with different activities. I worked with Katie, who was our roaming journalist for the week, by filming her while she was interviewing a few politicians who were participating in the event. It was interesting to hear that all these powerful and successful women had been at one point in their lives a part of the Girls Scouts.

THURSDAY
This was our last day with the girls and we wanted to make the best of it so we tried hanging out with them as much as we could. We did our last activity with them which was to finalize their issues and solutions so that they could create their official Platform. The girls got to present one more time, and we all had dinner anxiously waiting for the acceptance speech by Sen. Barack Obama. After the speech, there was a quick debrief with Professor Jennifer Barber and the girls got right back into end of our workshop. We had a short and sweet closing ceremony with acknowledgments to each other and our Inner Leader qualities. I will never forget what one girl said to me: “You always had a smile on your face and brought in a good energy.”

I felt totally complete when she said that because it was exactly what I said my stake would be!

Comments (0) | by Courtney on September 10

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I had a blast this Saturday MCing the Jenna Druck Foundation's Young Women's Leadership Conference for middle school girls in San Diego. It was called: "Pretty, Hot and Popular" and was keynoted by my dear and powerful friend Jessica Weiner, who is global ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. We inspired the girls to think about what makes them really (inner) beautiful and compelling leaders. The San Diego Tribune wrote about it here: Pre-teen girls hear message of self-respect, fitting in.

Comments (0) | by Courtney on July 22

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From Atlanta to Oakland, last week amazing orgs I work with shifted the world by empowering girls who in turn empowered each other. I'm so proud of the founders of the bay area girls rock camp who just completed their first-ever week of camp in Oakland! 60 girls. 13 bands. The world on fire! The showcase on Sat. was amazing. Girls as young as age 8 formed bands. They learned how to play instruments—many for the first time. And they let their voices be heard. Loudly! Along the way, they flexed their power and found the support of an amazing community. The women who volunteered all week told me they were transformed (of course!) and that is was the best week of their lives. Here are the awesome rock-and-roll PHOTOS by Lori Paladino.

Comments (0) | by Courtney on July 14

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Sorry to be off the grid! I was in Atlanta last week facilitating the uniquely ME! Leadership Institute, which is a Girl Scouts of the USA program. Thirty girls ages 13-18 from more than 15 states came together to discover their inner beauty and who they are as leaders, to connect what they learned back to their communities, and to take action to empower other girls to raise their self-esteem. I learned so much more about what happens when you create an inclusive, safe space for all of us to be ourselves. From there the power and life-changing experiences just flow.

There also was a team of more than 40 adults from the Girl Scouts to amazing people in Atlanta who helped make the institute happen, including the team at Treesounds Studios. The girls got to meet so many amazing role models (so did I!) and even got to write and record a hook for a song for a 19-year-old amazing artist (more about her later!) who is coming on to the scene. They also learned about going green and creating social change. Mostly they learned about themselves and each other.

Here is the hook the girls created and recorded with their partners at Treesounds. It really says it all about who they are and what happened for them during the week:

WHAT YOU SEE YOU CAN ACHIEVE
BE YOURSELF AND BE FREE
DON'T LET NOTHING KILL YOUR DREAM
TRUST YOURSELF AND BELIEVE
GOTTA FIND YO SELF-ESTEEM
LOVE YOURSELF COMPLETELY
CREATED PERFECTLY
SO FRESH & UNIQUE!

So many of the girls said it was the first time they'd been with a group of girls where there was total acceptance of one another! The tagline of uME! is "You can change the way you look, or you can change the way the world looks at girls!" Nuff said.

Hi girls! Miss you! Love you! xoxoCourt. This is for you (and our power playlist is below!):

I'll write more about the week and the women behind it tomorrow. But in the meantime, I wanted to send you some shout-outs from the girls who will lead us all to a better day:

I have learned so much this week. Not only about myself, but that I'm not the only person who has gone through the same stuff. I want to say thanks to everyone who helped and participated in the first uMe! Leadership Institute!! I feel as though I have so much to bring back to my community from my experiences. I will never forget these moments.
Elizabeth, 17, Georgia

When I first came to this program, I expected to come home with just the knowledge of how to help others raise their self-esteem, but brought home so much more. From attending this phenomenal program, my self-esteem level rose and I have so much more confidence in myself. I also brought back a bunch of new and close friends. This was a truly unforgettable experience.
Isabelle, 16, California

I have learned so much about myself during this week, it will help me in the long run. Courtney is a really big help for what I was going through. I want to say thanks to all the help that everyone has given to me.
Megan, 17, Arkansas

The uniquely ME institute is the beginning to my path in life. I have learned so much at the uME Institute and have met wonderful lifelong friends. Being a Girl Scout has opened me up to the most amazing opportunities. I am very excited to go back to my community and start empowering young women. I believe that this is a woman's world and people just don't now it yet.
Allie, 16, Colorado

The uME! Institute is a wonderful program and every girl or even woman should participate in this program. It's wonderful and all the leaders have recently been elected to my Wall of Inspiration. The women who I am talking about are Courtney, Leanne, Christina, Lesley, Sharon, and can't forget Sabri-bri. The are wonderful and every one should participate this program changed my life in a week I'm sure it will change yours too. Pleaseeeeeeeeee join this program—it is life changing and you can discover the real person inside of you. The real you. The uniquely u.
DaJana, 13, Kansas City

uniquely ME! is an amazing program for young girls! I love that Courtney has been here with us teaching us to love ourselves and others. She is a stellar person! I think every girl or woman should have something as great as this in their life. I have met so many amazing people and learned things that I will take with me forever. During this institute I have learned to respect my body. I just really admire all the ladies that have been working with us. (The boys too =] ) Everybody has been really cool about everything and not judgmental which is what every young girl needs in her life. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to come down here it's a privilege to do this. I've made new friends that I will keep for a life time. =]
Tabetha 16, Illinois

The Uniquely Me program is an inspiring program for young women/girls. We learned how to love ourselves for who we are. I think that this program should be spread to every young girl so that they may learn to love themselves for who they are and not by what they see on tv. Everybody has been great here, they all have supported everyone. I made friends here that I will be able to keep for a lifetime. They are all great!! I also loved all the leaders that have been here helping us. They were all absolutely awesome! I had a awesome time!
Shannon, 14, Colorado

What I loved about the girls is that they taught me to speak up about my feelings. If i couldn't do it at their age, they have given me the courage to do it at 25. I am ready, to be complete.
Sabrina, 25, uME! leader

Comments (0) | by Courtney on July 14

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get in effect here

Comments (1) | by Courtney on June 21

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Along with our fabulous Respect Rx Groups that are just for girls, may we also suggest: the RESPECT Book Club.

RESPECT Book Clubs are casual, fun and a place to be real with each other and share feelings and issues about self-respect, relationships and making healthy choices. You can create the club just for moms and daughters, girls and their big sisters or woman mentors, or you can modify the format and create a special dads and daughters version!

Some suggestions for getting started:

Step No. 1: Set up your book club. Before your first meeting, you’ll want to:

• Select an appropriate venue for the book club (library, members’ houses, school, etc).

• Recruit a dedicated group of mothers and daughters, for example.

• Pick a recurring date and time for the club to meet.

• Distribute information on how to get the book for those who haven’t already.

• Appoint a moderator to lead the first discussion. After that, rotate!

• Design a way to keep members informed about meeting details and reading assignments, such as an email group or a phone tree.

Step No. 2: Create a Respect Pact. In the spirit of the book, it’s important to set the tone for the group with a Respect Pact. You can design this pact in the group’s first meeting and read it at the beginning of every meeting as ritual. The pact can address:

• How you’ll show each other respect.

• How you’ll share responsibilities and organizational tasks.

• The way that daughters will support their mothers, and vice versa.

• The promise of privacy—what is said during book club meetings stays within the group (no post-club gossip!).

• What resources you’ll approve to be used in the meeting, such as trusted helplines or other books besides RESPECT when you're done reading it.

Step No. 3: Try the sample meeting format: Here’s one suggested way to set up each book club meeting:

• Form a circle with chairs or on the floor.

• Start things off by reading the Respect Pact (see above).

• Each week can focus on one of the 12 chapters in RESPECT. Come to the meeting having read the corresponding content for the week. You can also take turns reading sections of a chapter during the meeting.

• Start off with a discussion round, in which members can share how the content relates to their lives. If you’re reading the book during the meeting, have each person share after they’ve read. Make sure everyone has a chance to share and try to avoid giving advice if a personal issue comes up. Instead, remember that each girl and woman can figure out her own life. Listen, ask open-ended questions but don't try to fix each other.

• Engage the group in an activity, such as one directly from the book. You might do a group activity or a quiet journaling activity. Another option is to agree to do the journaling as an assignment for the next meeting.

• Close the meeting by reading Your Rights together.

xoxo

Comments (0) | by Courtney on June 5

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In late April, we headed to Connecticut to lead the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and Dove Campaign for Real Beauty Self-Esteem Week! Our mission: To inspire and empower the 1,600 girls who attended our Respect Rx assemblies to GET REAL, respect each other and focus on their passions versus outside packaging. And we were JUST as inspired by the truly phenomenal girls we met at seven schools in seven days! HEY GIRLS!!!xoxox

Our journey took us all over the Hartford area—from Southington to Naugatuck to Berlin to Cheshire. At each middle school and high school, we focused on what keeps us from being real and respecting ourselves? Then we got down to boosting our self-respect and supporting each other in getting more real. Girls got out of their seats, spoke up and showed each other that no one is alone when it comes to universal self-esteem issues. Many of us struggle with body image, not fitting in, perfectionism, drama with friends, tough family issues, negative habits and thoughts, addictions or abuse. So many girls came up to us after to get more support and share their own stories.

One of their fave parts was seeing the Dove film titled "Evolution," which exposes fakery in media by showing a model's transformation from her roll-out-of-bed self to a billboard beauty—all with the help of Photoshop finesse. Even if they'd seen it, the film sparked us all to think about: Then why do we still fall for this stuff?

The video definitely opened up an interesting dialogue with the girls about how media affects us. We also played a game that questions why do we instantly recognize the women from reality TV and celeb magazines versus social change agents like Wangari Maathai or Mayerly Sanchez?

After debunking some beauty myths, we focused on where we want to go. Do we want unrealistic ideals and drama to hold us back? Or do we want to be true to ourselves and follow our passions? Most girls say YES to owning their power! We led the girls through a 15-minute visualization where they got to meet their Future Self. In this activity, girls fast forward five years into the future to see how their Future Self lives. Girls met the woman they'll become. She was most often strong, educated, confident. They envisioned themselves as doctors, record producers, special ed teachers, architects, college students and so much more! It was truly breathtaking to see auditoriums filled with hundreds of girls deeply meditating with eyes closed and mentally designing their futures. (One school principal said in her 25 years of education she'd never heard the overhead lights buzzing in an assembly—thats how engaged the girls were!).

Their Future Self also told them a word to remember and here were some of the words they heard:
Love
Dedication
Smile
Persevere
Faith
Strong
Hope
Brave
It's OK

Many girls even HUGGED themselves when we said to hug their Future Selves:):):) It brings tears our eyes (we know we're cheesy, but seriously it was awesome!).

Even in one hour you (yes, you reader!) can reach a girl and together shift the world a bit. The week was truly one of the most rewarding weeks of our lives. From the girls and educators we met (those who work hard every day to empower teens) to the amazing dream team that made it all possible: Special thanks to Bob Lehr, Steph Ford, Bob Ford, and all the CIAC-CAS school officials who so generously donated their time, space, positive energy and dedication! Also big-time thanks to Ama A. and the Dove team. We can't wait for next year!

xoxoCourt&Jen

P.S. Adults and older teens: You can lead a Dove Real Beauty Workshop for Girls. Check out the free materials!

Comments (0) | by Courtney on May 17

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I just met the awesome people behind the new documentary Girls Rock!, which tells the inspiring story of girls who attended the The Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls in Portland. At the camp, girls ages 8-18 come from all over the country to learn to rock. The girls form bands, write songs and build community. They bang their heads! Listen to our conversation on KALW's Your Call radio about girl culture and Girls Rock! here.

Please go see the movie (clip below) which opens this weekend! And check out the web site for more screening dates through May. To get inspired, watch the trailer, which, well, rocks! The movie is about the universal struggles girls go through and how the camp is life-changing for this group. (It would be for anyone!) They discover a support network and their strengths. And the girls' creativity and vulnerability just blows me away (as usual!).

What one of the young women, Laura (15), says that just killed me (in a good way). I WANT every girl to make this discovery:

"I've been waiting for so long to finally admit to myself that I'm amazing, and I really am. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and they get even better when they decide to be powerful and they decide to rock."

Girls and girl supporters: check out the rock camps. For example, the Girls Rock! Bay Area is launching this summer and accepting applications through April. The cost is $400 per girl. Financial aid is available to qualifying participants.

Comments (0) | by Courtney on March 7

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This Saturday, 500 girls joined us in Getting REAL at the Jenna Druck Foundation's annual “Spirit of Leadership” Conference. It was one of the most amazing events of our lives! The girls were inspired by the legacy of an amazing young woman Jenna—a passionate leader, great friend and very loved daughter and sister.

The girls came from all over San Diego to confirm something major: That every young woman is ALREADY a leader, and that this world needs every girl to lead in her own way!

We really rocked our interactive keynote thanks to being able to marinate in the brilliance of young women and their advocates (there were more than 100 mentors and wonderful workshop facilitators there, too).

Audrey and I also met so many marvelous young women (hi, girls!). If we could live at that conference, we would! Every girl filled our hearts with her story, vision, goals and strong support for the other girls by her side. At the end of the conference dozens of girls took to the stage to say what they learned (like: to be themselves, to speak up, to not let anything hold them back, that girls and women can DO anything...!). They shared their goals (like: to help children around the world, to travel the world, to lead social change, to go to college, to gradate high school, to make healthy choices, to be anything they want to be...!).

And we know you will do it. And we know you will stay REAL. We love you all and we love the Jenna Druck Foundation--check them out and get involved!

CHECK OUT pics from the event!

Comments (0) | by Courtney on March 4

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• 92% of teen girls would like to change something about the way they look
• 86% of the approx. 10 million American girls and women who suffer from an eating disorder report the onset of their condition by age 20
• Just 2% of women think they’re beautiful
• More than 50% of women between ages 18-25 would rather be run over by a truck than be “fat”

Girls and women: We don’t have to let unrealistic ideals diminish our power. We can get REAL instead.

Check out the Getting REAL workshops for girls, college women and moms. And join our Getting REAL new social network.
Colleges: Book this interactive presentation today in conjunction with your campus’ National Eating Disorders Awareness Week or V-Day programs in 2008.

Comments (0) | by Courtney on March 1

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Check out the article Gossip Girls (page 234) in the March issue of Teen Vogue. I dish some advice about why we gossip and how to give it up!

Comments (0) | by Courtney on February 13

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Hey girls (and girl advocates)! I wanted to tell you about an amazing summer camp you might want to check out this year. Omega Teen Camp is an empowering and creativity inspiring camp for teens that was founded at the Omega Institute in New York.

I was a guest teacher at the camp last year. During our daily intensives, myself, my assistant teacher (the fabulous Rachel Myrowitz) and a group of passionate teen girls talked about our experiences with self-respect, sisterhood and social change. We also did a social change web—a tool developed by the awesome org Girls For A Change! (see example below).

The girls focused on the Issue: Why do so many girls have a negative body image? Next, they looked at the Effects of having a negative body image and the Causes of negative body image. Then they came up with their own three-fold social change project to impact a root cause of the problem (that girls need more support from each other to feel comfortable in their own skin!).

And they did this all by just spending a few hours a day together during one week! The girls:

...created and led a workshop for other girls at the camp so they could talk about body image, why so many girls hate their bodies, and what they can do about it!

...designed "INNER beauty bands" with positive affirmations. They wore the bands to remind them about how valuable they are and that they deserve respect (especially from themselves).

...hung positive affirmation signs throughout the camp with phrases to inspire their fellow campers to see their inner beauty—not just what was in the mirror.

The girls were so creative, caring and motivated to make changes. I think they were so primed to work together because of the supportive and progressive environment at Omega. I've been so inspired by the girls that I've been telling other girls around the country about their project!

Comments (0) | by Courtney on February 12

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As women and girls our lives can become ruled by unrealistic images and ideals—what we call unREAL(ities):

#1 Pressure to compete with our peers, to make the grade and to compare ourselves to others. This pushes us to try to be like everyone else except the REAL us. For example, 74% of girls say they are under pressure to please everyone (Girls Inc.).

#2 Packaging is the focus—from celeb magazines to reality TV and the Web—we're encouraged to invest too much time and attention into our outside appearance and material assets to get attention. This leads to negative body image and an empty feeling inside. We are getting the message that: "you're nobody until everybody on the planet loves your look."

#3 Perfection and narrow ideals of beauty, success and power makes us feel that we aren't good enough and that nothing we do is good enough.

In reality, our REAL potential is limitless and so are the opportunities in life. Let's encourage each other to develop our REAL assets and gifts which are boundless and come from the inside! See the Getting REAL Tour.

Comments (0) | by Courtney on November 8

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Last week I walked into the Santa Clara Convention Center for an event that didn't include the usual fare of high-tech company exhibit booths and Powerpoint keynotes. Rather, I walked into a wave of girl anthem and hip-hop beats and a swarm of hundreds of teen girls who were there to celebrate: themselves.

continues on The Huffington Post...

Comments (0) | by Courtney on May 28

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A Phoenix community college student, Kia Smith, founded the Miss CHAMPION pageant, which is all about girls building their self-confidence and recognizing their inner beauty. Forget makeup and fake tans, these 11- to 14-year-old girls participate in team-building exercises, talk about girl culture and share their personal struggles. Read more here...

Comments (0) | by Courtney on May 10

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The Boys & Girls Clubs of America released its Youth Report To America—a national survey of 46,000 young people ages 13 to 18. From the Iraq war to violence in schools to education and the pursuit of the "American Dream" the report is a revealing look at the hopes, dreams and concerns of teens.

One of the coolest things about this survey is that is was developed and conducted by teens—so the respondents were probably a tad bit more truthful. The nine-page report is loaded with interesting stats, here's what stood out for me:

• Only one in three teens polled (33%) believe that knowledge is a key to success—that seems low to me! Still, nearly 74% think college is necessary to meet their career goals.

• More than 57% of all respondents say their children will have more challenges than they have. I think every generation can feel this way, but feeling hopeless can lead to inaction. And that leads to the next point…

• When asked "What things can make life better for future generations?" almost 40% said finishing school (smart!). But only 22% said being involved in their communities and JUST 13% said pushing for equal opportunities for everyone.

We can't settle for this disconnect. We need to help all teens see the power of social change and how fighting for all people's rights is the same as standing for yourself (it's their world!). We can start by letting them know that they have rights. Read on for their views on racial harmony which do indicate a strong desire for equality for all.

• More than 1 in 3 youth stated that their relationship with their parents/guardians was most important to them. And 44% admitted that their guardians had more influence over their decisions than their friends (who came in second at 19%). Shocked? Don’t be. Even though teens are pushing for more independence, they tell me they still crave care (even from a distance) and boundaries (even if they don't always like 'em) from their parents. It's simple: It makes them feel safe. They're not totally ready to have the whole weight of the world on their shoulders…

• And the No. 1 way teens say their relationships with adults can be improved? Listening to one another!

When we wrote RESPECT every girl we interviewed said the same thing. And boy don't we all know it. If we all open our big fat ears, the respect will really start to flow. Instead of advising or telling each other what to do, we can all act like good reporters, instead. This means listening close to each other and asking powerful open-ended questions. Teens want to have their say—and they deserve it. Speaking up is a Respect Basic (so is listening up!).

• Speaking of listening, this whole section is worth a close read:

What is the biggest problem in your community?
Crime: 29.88%
Peer pressure: 25.74%
Teen pregnancy: 18.71%
Lack of jobs: 16.07%
Other (drugs, gangs, all of the above): 9.59%
(The teen girls I work with every week through Girls For A Change say the *exact* same thing. In fact, their social change project this year was tie between trying to keep their local middle school little sisters from getting into gangs vs. getting pregnant. After many heart-to-hearts, they decided to develop a teen pregnancy prevention program for girls ages 12 to 14!)

What causes teens the greatest stress?
Peer pressure/fitting in: 37.00%
School: 25.47%
Relationships: 19.24%
Violence: 11.35%
Other (school, money, all of the above): 6.94%

What is your greatest fear?
Going to war: 26.72%
Not graduating from high school: 25.69%
Losing a good friend: 19.46%
Not getting a job: 15.90%
Other (dying, losing loved one, God): 12.23%

What is the No. 1 problem facing teens in America?
Drugs/Alcohol: 39.69%
Lack of security/violence: 21.05%
Race relations: 15.96%
Poverty: 14.91%
Other (peer pressure, sex/teen pregnancy, all of the above): 8.38%

• Like generations before, they are worried about violence and race relations. They say ending racism and creating harmony among all people will reduce conflict, unite our country and strengthen communities.

• Here's my favorite. More than 69% feel that one of those responsibilities that Americans have is to vote. And when asked "What is your idea of the American dream?" Personal happiness won by a landslide at 41%.

Now they didn't say having a massive Super Sweet 16 party, iPods or being famous, OK? Young adults totally get it that deep down, having a mission in life and following your passions is the real deal. And living the dream starts with having respect on the inside, creating strong relationships, and spreading respect for all people. They spoke, let's listen. And lend our support.

Comments (0) | by Courtney on March 18

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