The disaster in Japan By Casey (Casey.) On March 11th 2011 a massive earthquake struck Japan. The 8.9 magnitude was the largest earthquake to hit Japan in over 140 years. It caused multiple aftershocks and tsunami waves that struck several parts of Japan and the tsunami waves hit parts of Hawaii and other pacific islands too. The earthquake caused massive damage and the tsunami destroyed hundreds of homes, taking many lives with them. The disaster in Japan was escalated by unstable...

Making Poetry An Art By Holly (Algernon) 1. Write as though you are appealing to the five senses. Taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. This is a great way to convey to the reader the very essence of your poetry. People understand when you are directing your words to their "vulnerable" zones. When you are speaking to your lover, you try and use words to describe how they taste and how they look. It's alluring. The same goes for poetry. If you can seduce someone with your words, they will...

Letters from Universities - How to Stay Sane! By Robin (PSY) You have been a student for most of your life. There has never been a time when you haven't had to stress over homework assignments and final exams. Looking ahead, you see yourself going on to undergraduate or graduate school... if you have what it takes. That's right – it's March, and letters from universities will be arriving soon! Whether you're about to earn your high school diploma or your bachelors degree, take a look at...

Know Your World: Iran By Casey (Casey.) Most of us learn about our own nations in school, but usually there is little time or energy placed into knowing the world around us. The world is a magnificent place, with almost two hundred nations. We hear about some of these nations on the news every day, especially right now with the turmoil in the Middle East,but what do we actually know about these countries and the people who live there? The Islamic Republic of Iran, or simply Iran, is a...

Believe You are Good Enough By Sara Westbrook Sara Westbrook, one of TeenHelp's partners, has graciously shared this article on the value and importance of self worth in improving one's quality of life. She is a motivational singer, song writer, and speaker, and youth advice columnist who hopes to empower youth around the world. For more information on her mission, visit www.sarawestbrook.com. Q: I’m really going through a lot and there’s no one I can talk to. I’m hating myself by the...

Be the Change by Casey (Casey.) Clean water. It's not something we often think about as we brush our teeth and take showers. Often, we don't even consider our luck as we drink a glass or bottle of it. We take these luxuries for granted, and many of us do not realize how blessed we really are. After all, we have food, shelter, and clean, safe drinking water. Unfortunately, many are not so lucky. Over a billion people go without these basics everyday. Even clean drinking water is a commodity...

Give Me Five for Health by Marie (Atelophobia) Being safe and healthy doesn't have to be time consuming. Each and every one of us can afford to take out five minutes; taking a few minutes out of the 1,440 minutes in a day; it's worth it for the long term benefits. There are many differences you can make to your life: from protecting your skin to eating healthy, from fighting the urges to smoke, to planting a vegetable patch, you have the power to improve your quality (and quantity) of life!...

The Water Project by Katrina (AppleTini) We all know how important water is, and that it's the most vital resource for survival. This month, I wanted to share with you a cause that can help you give someone an important gift - water. The Water Project is actually focused on bringing clean water to India and Africa, and is a fantastic way to help get the world hydrated! With a donation as small as $10.00, you can give someone the gift of water for ten years! The Water Project focuses...

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation By Katrina (AppleTini) Meet Alexandra Scott, daughter of Liz and Jay Scott, born in 1996; this year, Alex would be fourteen years old. When Alex was less than a year old, she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer. Though Alex's parents were told she'd never be able to walk, she fought this prediction and slowly but surely learned to walk with leg braces by the age of two, and continued to work until she was able to walk without...

From scraps to treasure by Brittany (.Brittany.) Scrapbooking can be a lot of fun and a great alternative or distraction! The process is fun, fairly easy, and a great way to keep memories from vacations, friends, high school, college, camp, family get togethers, and so much more! There are even scrapbooking courses that you can take if you decide that this is something that you really enjoy. Most scrapbooking kits will have everything that you need like stickers and decorations. They...

Just a bad dream By Robin (PSY) You are clinging to the edge of a cliff. Your grip is slipping and suddenly you begin to fall. Before you can hit the ground, you wake up. Your heart is racing, your palms are sweaty, but you sigh with relief as you realize that it was all just a horrible nightmare. After giving yourself a moment to calm down, you roll over and go back to sleep. It's over. Unfortunately, some individuals suffer from recurring nightmares. These nightmares may emerge for the...

Coping with depression By Zach (zeekool) I've had depression for about a year now, but it seems like it has been at least five. Within this last year, I have been on four different depression-related medications, gone to a psychiatric hospital (for teens), and have had weekly therapy sessions with a psychiatrist. In the process, I've gained a lot of experience regarding how to cope with depression. The most important rule I set for myself is: no searching symptoms and conditions on the...

The power of speech by Holly Marie (Rie) Those who stutter may face discrimination, bullying, prejudice and even be led to social isolation. Around 60 million people struggle with stuttering, yet most people know very little about this speech disorder. Stuttering may also be referred to as 'stammering', or as a broader term, 'disfluent speech'. Stuttering is a speech disorder in which the sounds and syllables spoken may be prolonged or repeated, disrupting the regular flow of speech....

Keep a Child Alive By Katrina (AppleTini) With HIV/AIDS so prominent around the globe, particularly in India and Africa, with a succesful cure still not recorded, there are many organizations fighting for the cure through educating and raising awareness about the causes of HIV/AIDS, donating money and time to finding the cure, and doing many more remarkable things to ensure that the future will not have to battle with HIV/AIDS as the past and the present has had to. One such...

Copiapó Mining Accident By Casey (Casey.) You're trapped underground with little food or water. The world believes that you are dead. It sounds like a nightmare, but for thirty-three miners in Chile, it was reality when the San José copper-gold mine collapsed on August 5th 2010 near Copiapó in northern Chile. Chile worked for weeks to reach the trapped men below, not knowing for two weeks if they were dead or alive. But on August 22nd the drill, which had reached the men in their...