Today in History

There are lots of websites that will give you a breakdown of what HISTORIC events happened on this day in the past:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

www.nytimes.com/.../onthisday/index.html

www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

www.on-this-day.com/

Each will give you some random facts about events that have changed or influenced our history, and some that have been forgotten by history.

So yesterday, I was scrambling through the History.com site and read through what's happened this week in history, and came across an image that sparked a memory i hadn't thought about in a very long time.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/challenger-explodes

On January 28th 1986, way before most of you who will read this post were even born, the space shuttle Challenger exploded during its take off. I remember this vividly for a number of different reasons.

1) I was on a school tour of the NY newspaper "The Daily News".
2) We paused during the tour to watch the liftoff along with a ton of journalists and reporters on the TV's.
3) I had never witnessed a space shuttle launch before.
4) Christa McAuliffe

 I recall Christa because she wasn't an astronaut - she was a school teacher. And she didn't even teach math or science - she was a social studies teacher.

NASA had this idea that if they gave the opportunity to train with astronauts and actually fly into space to everyday folks, it might stir up some interest in the space program again. Because let's be honest, unless you are already a fan of space travel, you likely don't remember anything NASA related since we landed on the moon the first time. The result: The Teacher in Space Project.

Over 11,000 teachers applied for the chance to put on a real-live space suit, but it was Christa who won over the selection committee. NASA official Alan Ladwig said "she had an infectious enthusiasm" (from Wikipedia).

It was that infectious enthusiasm that endeared her to the public. Tons of kids dream of becoming astronauts, but that number starts dwindling fast when they find out how long and hard road is to get there. It makes space seem even father away then it already is. Something us average folks will never get a chance at.

Christa reminded me and my classmates and people all over the country of that enthusiasm we once had. For the possibility of...well, almost anything. NASA's plan worked - it seemed to me like the entire world had tuned back in to the space program. Everyone was behind Christa and cheering her on. She was even going to teach a couple lessons from space.

The morning of the space shuttle launch, there were people jumping up and down, dozens of signs and posters - not just at the actual launch site, but everywhere that large groups had gathered around television sets to watch one of "us" head into the atmosphere and then out of this world. Everyone counted down with the TV announcers and screamed with joy as the shuttle fired and took off. It was actually happening.

That excitement didn't last for much more than a minute. I remember seeing all the kids around me. We were huddled in tight like we were trying to conserve body heat in a winter storm. And a wave of cold shock hit us all, 73 seconds after takeoff, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. There were no survivors.

At first, it was like time had stopped. Some mouths hung open, others had been clutched by hands. We all stood and watched in disbelief. For us kids, it would have been sad no matter what, but a teacher had been on the shuttle. She could've been our teacher...and that thought was just too close for comfort. A moment later, the newsroom went ballistic as journalists and reporters all ran rampant, grabbing ringing phones and getting to work on telling the story of what had just happened.

I personally don't recall anything about the rest of the tour. But it was all over the news for days. Eventually the attention moved on. Later that year there were scholarships and schools named after Christa McAuliffe and in her honor. I didn't know her, but i felt like i did. I haven't watched any NASA related stuff on the news since.

Teen Link Staff Member

Seattle Program gives homeless youth a voice in more ways than one

  

Peace for the Streets by Kids From the Streets (PSKS)

"We Provide support and services to Seattle area homeless youth and young adults. Our committed efforts are targeted at providing stepping stones to transition youths from the streets to self-sufficiency and productive roles in community."

PSKS was began as a project - a one day concert planned by, then teacher, Elain Simons with some of her students. After the concert was done, Elaine went back to school, but her students wanted it to continue. What started there has grown into a program unlike any other in Seattle where the participants, homeless and formerly homeless young adults, can take pride and ownership on a higher level if they are interested.

Recently, Teen Link staff and volunteers did a site visit at PSKS to get some firsthand knowledge of what this org that has been serving the youth of Seattle for 15 years actually does, what they are all about and what makes them so special.

Upon walking in and immediately being greeted and welcomed into the space, we were taken on a brief tour of the facility. "Cluttered" is NOT the right word to describe the space because everything seems to be in it's proper place, but there definitely is A LOT of stuff - from toys for toddlers to blankets and toiletries - PSKS seems to have it all covered, which speaks to how MUCH it is that this seemingly small org actually gets done. All of these items are easily accessed and the best part - NOTHING is locked up. This contributes to the laid back/relaxed atmosphere of the center. The walls are also adorned with artwork

After a brief tour, we sat down to speak with Elaine Simons, founder and executive director and ask her a few questions:

Who do you serve?
 - That depends on the program. Each program we offer deals with a different group of young people. But, there is no exit age for the agency. Technically they stop serving youth at age 26, but there are opportunities for participants to then volunteer or apply to work as staff members.

What are your programs? Click here for a complete list of PSKS programs.
 - RISK (Reinventing Steps to Knowledge): high school completion/GED program for young adults
- LEAP (Lasting Employment Advancement Program): PSKS hires young adults who show promise for three-month internships
- STEP Up: Peer organized women's support group
- Step Beyond: support group for formerly homeless youth

(If all that wasn't enough, there are: a ton of ongoing daytime workshops geared toward teaching homeless youth how to advocate for themselves; an ongoing forum of dialogues between the police, business owners and homeless youth to encourage peaceful coexistence; and CORE membership which allows for homeless youth to take some ownership of the program, participate in the decision making process and represent PSKS in public.)

What makes PSKS special?
We try to break down as many barriers as we can for the clients. Once people come through the door, they have access to pretty much everything. Staff are on the same floor as the clients are, clients with felony charges are still served, dogs are also welcome in the center. These are common barriers for many homeless young people, preventing them from moving forward, receiving services and from trusting the system.


Click on the link to view a documentary about street kids from the PSKS website: 
http://www.psks.org/KIROvideo.html

And if you'd like to go check out PSKS yourself, click HERE to view a map of their location.

Black History Month - It's all about roots

Black History Month is officially over now, but that doesn't mean the HISTORY has become any less relevant. Take the realm of music as an example - Michael Jackson, specifically. Whether you enjoyed his music or not, it's hard to not appreciate his craft, his precision, his talent. The self-named King of Pop died less than a year ago and left a tremendous legacy.

There are very few musicians these days in mainstream music who don't cite him as a major influence. Which brings me to the point of "roots". They say, you don't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been. So beginning with Michael and who he's influenced, let's take some steps backwards.

Alien Ant Farm remakes Michael's "Smooth Criminal"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDl9ZMfj6aE

And then there's a bunch of heavy hitters in pop music:

"While Michael Jackson thrilled fans with his videos, revolutionized pop dancing, and tantalized us with his darkly bizarre behaviour, his most important legacy is as the ultimate crossover artist: He married rock, pop, R & B, and dance music in order to smash radio formats and racial barriers in the media. Here are 10 of his closest acolytes, some of whom have followed his star to mass popularity, and some of whom may have flown too close to his supernova..."  Read More...

And while Michael was quite the genius, he had HIS influences too.

From Wikipedia: "Jackson's music genre takes roots in R&B, Motown, pop and soul. He had been influenced by the work of contemporary musicians such as Little Richard, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Diana Ross, David Ruffin, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis, Jr., The Isley Brothers, and the Bee Gees.

While Little Richard had a huge influence on Jackson, James Brown was for him, since early childhood, his greatest inspiration: "the master" or "a genius"...describing his performance as "phenomenal". He declared: "Ever since I was a small child, no more than like six years old, my mother would wake me no matter what time it was, if I was sleeping, no matter what I was doing, to watch the television to see the master at work."

James Brown, commonly referred to as the "Godfather of Soul", takes us on a little bit of a different direction, because he not only inspired Michael Jackson and thus had a large influence on pop music (ex: the drum loop from James' song "Funky Drummer" has been sampled more than 100 times by artists like Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Enigma and the Beastie Boys), James had a monumental influence on the world of hip hop.  

He is still one of the most sampled artists of all time on hip hop records. His style of call-and-response with his band as well as with the audience directly impacted the way that emcees interact with the audience members at shows. The breaks of James Brown songs are still among the most commonly used by hip-hop DJs and were especially popular in the early  formative years of hip-hop music. (The break beats that are the building block of hip-hop music - the best part of the record that the DJ isolates by alternating between the two turntables).


"Type ‘James Brown’ into a search engine or a sample-source website and you’re going to get back pages and pages of hits. So many that you’ll initially think you made a mistake. But no, it isn’t a mistake. James Brown samples are just that prevalent. 

James is listed as The-Breaks.com’s number one most-sampled artist ever. And his total sample count of 903 is more than triple that of the nearest contender. It’s said that J.B. makes millions per year on sample-related royalties alone. So why? Why did James Brown’s music have such a pull on all of us? The answer is actually simple. It’s rhythm." (Read more here...)

So if James Brown had such a profound impact on music - who influenced James Brown?
According to Wikipedia, James decided to become an entertainer after seeing Louis Jordan perform. Louis Jordan was known as "The King of the Jukebox", and during his career that spanned the 1930s-1950s, he was able to cultivate popularity among both white AND black audiences.

He was named as #59 in Rolling Stone magazine's "Immortals: the Greatest Artists of All Time".

"...Jordan's sound was hard to imitate. At Atlantic Records, we used that boogie-woogie feel on some of the jump numbers we recorded with Joe Turner. But the main thing was the sound of Jordan's voice, the way he sang. It was a kind of talk-singing. He's actually talking the lyrics in "Saturday Night Fish Fry." Jordan was really a precursor to rap. Back then, they used to call it Harlem rhyming jive. Rap didn't just come out of nowhere." - By Ahmet Ertegun

Here's a taste of Louis Jordan's music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qROFl0sbrjo

Let's take a look at another one of these branches. 

I mentioned Little Richard as another of Michael Jackson's influences. "Little Richard" Penniman is often referred to as one of the architects of rock 'n roll music.

The Beatles' (listed as #1 in the Rolling Stone's "Immortals...") Paul McCartney often imitated Little Richard's trademark high pitched "Woooo!" (Listen to it here...) in early Beatles songs and has often said that he wanted to sing just like him.

The Beatles also were known to play covers of Little Richard's songs "Long Tall Sally" and "Lucille". His music was heavily covered by many artists including Elvis Presley.

Jimi Hendrix played in Little Richard's band and toured with him for over a year and began copying his flamboyant fashion and even wore his mustache in a similar style. James Brown called Little Richard his idol. And many, many other influential musicians have talked about him as major influences on their musical careers.

So where did Little Richard and many of the most popular artists of the 40s and 50s get their inspiration?

- Gospel music and the blues.

Where did these two musical styles originate from?

"Gospel music originated in the American South and is still primarily an American genre, although it has spread to other countries as well. Gospel music combines Christian lyrics, often taken from the Methodist hymnal, with American musical forms including jazz, blues, ragtime and bluegrass. Gospel music has its roots in the spirituals composed and sung by African slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries." (Read more...)

"The origins of blues is not unlike the origins of life. For many years it was recorded only by memory, and relayed only live, and in person. The Blues were born in the North Mississippi Delta following the Civil War. Influenced by African roots, field hollers, ballads, church music and rhythmic dance tunes called jump-ups evolved into a music for a singer who would engage in call-and-response with his guitar. He would sing a line, and the guitar would answer." (Read more...)

These are the roots of so much of the music we listen to and love today - and if that doesn't speak to the historical relevance of Black History, try taking another listen to your favorite songs and just start following the tracks backward.

Wanna take a trip?

Interested in broadening your horizons, challenging yourself, and growing as a person? One great way is to see different horizons, aka TRAVEL!!!

Click on the YouTube links below to watch video captured from the YMCA Global Teens program "which offers teens the opportunity to engage in the powerful journey of global discovery." Hear from the youth who participated talk about what made their experiences so powerful in their own words.

"In Their Own Words" - YMCA Global Teens:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT4BsFycfOU

Kids give back, have eyes opened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKjHW3SYo2U

One of the best ways to experience another culture is through it’s food, and no, Taco Bell doesn’t count. Neither does Olive Garden, Panda Express, or any other restaurant experience you have in your own neightborhood. It's better than nothing, but the epitome of food experience is eating the food in the land in which it originated, surrounded by the people of the culture and the culture itself. So, take a chance and get out of your comfort zone!

New York City teens eat a frog in Thailand - YMCA NYC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHZiBjheqdA

"Imagine being 16 years old and arriving in Paris for the first time on a hot June morning. Your host family for the next month is waiting to take you by train to a small village called Oradour-sur-Glane. It is in the heart of France, where there are green hills and shimmering lakes, porcelain is made, and the villagers are some of the friendliest in the world.

This is the new trend for high school students--spending their summers traveling, learning, sightseeing, and experiencing cultures overseas. These students take their once idle summers and turn them into the adventure of a lifetime..." Opportunities Abound for High School Students By Vanessa Relli-Moreau

Sounds pretty glamorous doesn't it? But is it as easy as just hopping on a plane?

There seems to be no shortage of programs available for youth who want to travel (try Googling "Teen Travel" and see how many sites pop up!), and the costs can range from upwards of $10,000 to FREE or doing community service work in exchange. Where would you want to go? For how long? Do you want to focus on sight-seeing or staying with a host family? Go solo or with a group? The questions can get overwhelming pretty quickly so CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article above that might be helpful in narrowing the search for what will fit you best.

Many high schools and religious organizations have travel programs usually based around study and/or service work, so check at your school and any religious groups you have connection with as well.

Additional Exchange Programs and Resources

Online International Education and Travel Databases:

GoAbroad.com; www.highschoolprogramsabroad.com
StudyAbroad.com; www.highschool.studyabroad.com

WorldWide Classroom, www.worldwide.edu, an international consortium of schools that offers intercultural and educational programs.

Long-Term Youth Exchange Programs

Generally youth exchange programs are geared for students 13-18 years of age. Program requirements vary, so check to make sure that you meet the application requirements.

The following is a sampling:

AFS-USA, www.usa.afs.org
AYUSA International, www.ayusa.org
Nacel Open Door, nacelopendoor.org
Rotary Youth Exchange, www.rotary.org
Youth For Understanding, www.yfu-usa.org

The Birds and Bees for '09

Teen Link receives questions regarding teens and sex ALL the time. Lots of "What if...?" questions, "What does it mean if...?" questions and "Is it normal...?" questions. And of course it makes sense that you would have a ton of questions - sex is EVERYWHERE these days. Between explicit images on TV and everything that seems to be on the internet, kids are becoming young adults faster and sooner than ever before. Add raging hormones to the mix and it makes perfect sense that teens want to know how all this "sex" stuff works.

But are the questions being asked? And if so, are they getting answered? About.com's webpage Teen Advice says, "...it scares us how much some sexually active teens DON’T know about sex, pregnancy and STDs. Silly or not some of these questions get asked so often that it makes us believe they are sincere."

Questions like:

• Can i get pregnant the first time i have sex?
• If a guy is a virgin can he get me pregnant?
• Can a girl get pregnant from oral sex?
• Are two condoms better protection from STD's?

Some of these questions being asked online are due to the fact that many parents don't have the first clue of how to have "the talk" with their kids (nothing against parents - kids don't come with an instructional manual after all). "Sometimes parents are fearful about saying too much too soon (although there's no evidence that this should be a concern). Some parents feel they don't know enough to be a reliable source of accurate information.

But when teens don't get the full picture from their parents (or even worse, NO picture at all), they'll seek the answers elsewhere - typically from their friends, who are in the same boat as they are.

Sex-ed Programs in schools can provide a lot of really helpful information (like clearing up the questions above - although there is still a great deal of controversy around what's okay to teach and what's not) but other questions like "How to know when you're ready for sex?" and "How to talk to your partner about sex?" tend to go unanswered, and yes or no answers and statistics aren't enough to help teens make responsible decisions that work for them.

SO, if you, your partner, or your friends have questions about sex in general or about sex in regards to your relationship, please give Teen Link (anonymous, confidential and non-judgmental: 1-866-833-6546) a call. But, if talking to someone is still intimidating or awkward for you, here are some really great sites that have real answers for today' questions:

http://www.scarleteen.com/

Been around for 10+ years, dealing with sex, sexuality, and pretty much everything in between

http://www.sexetc.org/
Sex education for teens, by teens - on a large variety of issues beyond just STDs

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/teen-talk/
Facts on dating, pregnancy, STDs and getting tested

Who You Callin' Racist?

Racism has never been an easy topic to discuss, for anyone. Fingers have a tendency to begin pointing really, really fast. And like most -isms, racism is practically hard wired into our society – so deeply in fact, that if it’s NOT blatant use of the “N” word or some other derogatory statement, we don’t necessarily notice it.

One of the last places I’d expect to find examples of racism is in a children’s animated movie or in cartoons and yet… ‘These old Disney movies are a little bit like your aging Uncle Frank. Honestly, he means well when he points out that Will Smith is "well-spoken."’ Take a look for yourself.

Well, Are You?

No one wants to be seen as a bigot, and yet it looks like a lot of us wonder, “Am I racist?” This article addresses the way we think and act as opposed to just the things we say (or the inappropriate things we don’t say).

Find out and take the test for yourself.

What To Say…

Ever tried to tell someone that they’re racist? Or to call out someone’s racist behavior? Here’s a video you might find helpful for the next time. And based on the studies from the previous article, you there most definitely will be a next time.

And to leave you in a better frame of mind…

Children of the Pumpkins…er…uh…Corn.

Halloween’s not over just yet, so if you’re looking for something to do to get your last kicks in besides the…





traditional costume party...

a haunted house...

or trick or treating…

Consider a Corn or Pumpkin Maze!

Most cost less than or about the same as going to the movies, have just as much junk food available (kettle corn, hot cider, hot dogs - but fresher and you can almost convince yourself it’s healthy since it came from a farm ;-) The mazes and the farms that typically house them are pretty popular events for little kids, BUT later on in the afternoon and early evening they’re tons of fun for young adults, especially in big groups.

Check ‘em out. Here are a few in the Greater Seattle area:
U-Pick Pumpkin Patch
Sunrise Hill Farms
City of Snohomish Festival of the Pumpkins
Gordon Skagit Farms

Shut up and Drive...sorta

DRIVE SAFE THIS WEEKEND

As we move into the weekend, when teens do a majority of their driving, especially night-time driving, remember that it’s National Teen Driver Safety Week

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. “In 2007, eleven teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries.”

10 THINGS PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT TEEN DRIVING

1. Sixteen-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a car crash than other drivers.

2. Simple driver error is a factor in two-thirds of fatal teen crashes.

3. Two-thirds of teen occupants killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts

4. In 2005, 12 percent of high school males reported driving after drinking.

5. Two or more teen passengers make fatal teen crash risk five times more likely.

6. Two-thirds of teens who die in car crashes are passengers of teen drivers.

7. Speeding is a factor in 40 percent of all teen driver fatalities.

8. Being awake for 18 hours leads to a driver impairment equivalent to having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of 0.08, which is legally drunk.

9. Inexperience combined with distractions is lethal.

10.The distractions proven to kill teens: teen passengers and cell phones.

WHAT'S THE CAUSE?

Drugs and alcohol are STILL a big factor. Nationally, 64 percent of all drivers or motorcycle operators ages 15 to 20 who were involved in traffic accidents and were legally drunk died as a result of the crash. But, driving under the influence seems to be taking a bit of a back seat to “Distracted Driving” – the distraction of cell phones, texting and having other teen passengers in the car.

Check out this site that gives all sorts of things to consider before you answer your phone or text someone when behind the wheel::

http://www.whatdoyouconsiderlethal.com

Also check out the graphic video PSA depicting the dangers of texting while driving.

Warning, the images seen can be disturbing.

Click here to view

And Finally - if you're in the Greater Seattle area,

Click HERE to see a list of All-Ages concerts/shows from The Stranger.

Teen Smoking & Weird Animals (Not Together)

Disclaimer: Teen Link neither condones nor condemns any behaviors or habits, we simply explore the issues.

The Teen Tobacco Craze

The American Lung Association reports that as many as 6,000 teens under the age of 18 start smoking every day. In response, there seems to be no shortage of anti-smoking ad campaigns and programs geared towards helping teens stop smoking (The Truth Campaign, NoTobacco.org, The Scoop on Smoking, etc.)

But are they working?

According to a new report from the American Journal of Public Health (read about it here), the 2006 ad campaign called “Talk: They’ll Listen,” which focused on getting parents to talk to their kids about smoking, actually had the revere effect. After watching the commercials, teens were actually more inclined to start smoking, likely because “most teens spurn their parents’ advice.” (Of course, the ad campaign was also funded by Philip Morris, one of the largest tobacco producers in the world, so how effective the campaign was to begin with is kind of suspect...)

An Australian study in 2003 found that the only anti-smoking ads that worked were the ones that showed gory/graphic health consequences of smoking like these:

Pretty gory, huh.

And something we always like to hear at Teen Link is that teens who tried to quit but couldn't actually found that their chances of quitting were higher when they had phone counseling available as well (more here). There are plenty of 800 numbers that offer free quit-smoking counseling, and plenty of general 800 counseling lines as well that would love to talk to teens about these issues. Or you could always call Teen Link. :)

More info:

Teens Speaking Out Video

Interesting article on what is effective at helping teens quit

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and just for fun:

The Nine Weirdest-Looking Animals You Didn't Know Existed