Learn More about the Ad Biz with AdCamp!

I’ve had so much fun over the years in the advertising and marketing industries and you can learn more about it, too. The American Advertising Federation (AAF) is partnering with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is presenting, “AdCamp” in downtown Chicago.

High school students from grades 10-12 will be exposed to different facets of the industry from areas that include media, advertising agencies and clients, which are companies who pay to promote products or services. This program will expose high school students to the marketing of their favorite brands, utilizing social media for advertising companies, discussing ad campaigns like the Super Bowl and shadowing corporate executives to see what they do in their workday. This is a great opportunity, but you must act fast, since the deadline to apply is tomorrow!

Need-based Minority Scholarships are available.

Application Deadline: Tomorrow! April 15th

AdCamp Dates: June 20-July 1, 2011

Location: Illini Center, downtown Chicago

Click on the link below, for more info on the AdCamp Program:
AdCamp in Chicago

Keep your skin Beautiful

Over the years the amount of products that have been manufactured just for our SKIN has increased alot. Why’s that? Because our SKIN (the largest organ of the body) – is VERY PRECIOUS and must be cared for!

Here are some tips, for keeping your skin BEAUTIFUL!

1) Drink water.
Water helps to detoxify our skin (and body) getting rid of substances that can cause harm to our skin (e.g acne).

2) Balanced Diet.
Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. These contain vitamins such as vitamin A and vitamin E, which are essential for good skin care.

3) Exercise.
Believe it or not. This not only helps to get you in shape and your heart stronger, but also it keeps your skin with a healthy supply of nutrients.

4) Sleep.
You need at least eight hours of sleep each night. Sleep is good for the skin.

5) Good make-up use.
If you wear makeup, make sure it is hypoallergenic or use products made for sensitive skin. Before going to bed, make sure you wash all the makeup away- keeping it on may lead to acne or clogged pores!

Lastly:

6) Keep face clean.
Wash your face at least twice each day.

Yolanda-Lin M

FREE College Fair in Queens This Saturday!

The Queens Public Library (QPL) will host more than 20 colleges, universities and trade schools at its 4th Annual College Fair this Saturday, April 16th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The college fair will take place at the QPL’s Langston Hughes branch, 100-01 Northern Blvd in Corona, Queens.

College fairs are great places to get answers to questions directly from recruiters. The college fair will also include workshops on financial aid and other topics, as well as, raffle prizes and giveaways! It’s a way of visiting a college without leaving your city. Some of the participating schools include Columbia University,  Hampton University, Hunter College, La Guardia Community College (CUNY), United States Naval Academy and The Art Institutes (just to name a few). Please review the flyer below to see if there’s a school on the list with programs that will help your future career:
This is a FREE event and you registration is not required to attend. For more information, please call 718.990.0871.
Directions: 
Train: 7  to 103rd St./Corona Plaza
Bus:  Q23, Q66, Q72
Have a great day!
Jen

Let’s Move, Get in Shape for the Summer!

Hey,

Spring is here and it’s a great time to get in shape for the summer. I know your question is, “How do I get motivated? I think one of the the best ways to workout is to find something that you love, so you it doesn’t feel like work.

Treadmills may not be fun for you, so find something else that you like to do. I practiced taekwondo for over five years and later earned my black belt, because it was fun and I like a challenging workout. Recently, I’ve been doing spinning classes, which is a class where you do different speeds and bike positions on a stationary bike.  Check out your local YMCA or gym for classes like Zumba, belly dancing, hip-hop dance and African dance.

There are small steps that you can take, too, and you don’t even realize that you’re trimming your waistline. Instead of taking the train one or two stops, walk to the next one and take the stairs up a few flights and skip the elevator. If you love practicing dance routines from music videos, try the YouTube video below for a great workout and invite your friends, too. It’s from our First Lady, Michelle Obama’s  “Let’s Move” campaign to help fight childhood obesity.

Let’s Move video with Beyonce song


Have fun!

Jen

Stand Up for Domestic Violence

If some of you are in New York City, you probably heard about the death of Sarah Coit, age 23. She died yesterday at the hands of her boyfriend, Raul Barrera, 33, who stabbed her to death during a domestic violence dispute.

We hear about these stories everyday. It was something that really bothered me during the reporting of this story. The couple lived at the residence for at least two years. News reporters talked to many neighbors, who heard the couple arguing on a regular basis, including the day Sarah Coit died. As I heard this story, it made me wonder, had any neighbors ever bothered to call the police for previous disputes? Many victims will not report the crimes and will often drop the charges due to fear or threats from their abusers. Does this mean that neighbors should do nothing? I’m aware because victims are usually adults, the police or even family members cannot force them to take action, but as neighbors we cannot sit by and say, “I will not get involved.”

This applies to adults and teens. It may mean having our best friend get mad at us for telling parents or teachers that a friend is in an abusive relationship. Even if a friend or neighbor may not tell us they are in an abusive relationship, there are signs for abuse. Click here to see an article about signs in the Double Dutch magazine. It is important for all of us to “stand up” by speaking up for victims, who may not have the confidence at that time to do so for themselves. The death of this young women is also a cautionary-tale that abuse does not ever stop over time, it gets worse and often escalates into this type of tragedy.

Jen

Check out this Teen with Her Own Fashion Biz

Tanesa Patterson is the fashion designer and style consultant for Nesa Fab, a company she started when she  was only 12 years old! Now at 16, she is very much a seasoned designer and also makes time to mentor other teens in the fashion industry. The Nesa Fab line started with t-shirts and has grown to include collections for teens, tweens and young adults. The prices also fit the budget of teens and parents, who want have fashion-forward options without breaking the bank. Tanesa’s unique designs include shirts and dresses inspired by newspaper and hot shoes for $20. This Texas fashionista exhibits great style, because she needs not afraid to push the boundaries of fashion and most importantly, she’s doing fashion on her own terms, with her own company.

Click here to see why you’ll be hearing more about Tanesa Patterson in the fashion industry.

Have a great weekend,

Jen

Go to Hollywood Without Leaving New York

Sometimes Hollywood can churn out the same old movies. Another romatic comedy. Yawn. Another film about nerds winning the girl. More yawning. Film festivals, like Tribeca, present exciting and unique films and it’s a subway ride away. You may or may not be familiar with the Tribeca Film Festival. If you aren’t you are missing a great time.

After the 911 tragedy, people were not visiting lower Manhattan, due to their fear of potential terrorists threats in the area. The actor, Robert DeNiro, a resident of the Tribeca wanted to help bring New Yorkers and visitors of the city back to the area. DeNiro partnered with Jane Rosenthal ad Caig Hatkoff to form the Tribeca Film Festival. It has helped to boost the economy of the area and helped established New York City as a “major filmmaking center.”

This festival is not just for the old folks. It’s in lower Manhattan, so it’s hip, trendy and fun.

Check out my film picks for teens:

  • Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest: One of the best rap groups in hip-hop are featured in this film. If you love hip-hop, you gotta see this film.
  • The Bully Project: This film covers the topic of bullying and what each of us can do to prevent it.
  • Tribeca Drive In: You won’t need a car for this drive-in movie. Just go down to World Financial Center Plaza and you’ll see the 1980’s movie, “Fame.” Plus, you and your friends will have fun laughing at all the big hair and crazy clothes in the movie.

Here are also a few tips to make your film fest experience a good one:

  • Get tickets online: There’s nothing worse than getting all pumped for a movie and you can’t see it, because it’s sold out.
  • Arrive early: There’s usually a line to get in, even if you have tickets, and you want to get a good seat.
  • Eat before you go: There’s nothing worse than sitting for a long time with your stomach growling.
  • Switch it up: If you’re into action films, try a drama. This festival includes many documentaries and international films you normally may not be able to see.
  • Go to movies where the director or actors talk: This gives you a chance to ask questions about the movie making process or film scenes.

In addition to the festival, there’s also an upcoming free Family Festival Street Fair on Saturday, April 30th. Tickets for the festival go on sale to the general public on Monday, April 18, 2011. (Tickets are sold by phone, online and ticket outlets).

Visit the Tribeca Film Festival site for details on movies and schedules.

Enjoy!

Jen

Teen fashion in the Netherlands

Having left Zim for the Netherlands, I have definitely had “fashion shock” drained out of me each year to the next. All you heard about the CLOGS is not true- In my opinion teenagers in the Netherlands understand the concept of “fashion personality”- perhaps a domino effect from the designers and the “open-minded” market.

Leggings like Zimbabwe are definitely a fave here-

“What’s an outfit without leggings?” Saskia K. (15yrs)

However perhaps they are more favoured in the winter. The winters here also leave you with no other choice but to Flaunt the Fur -(FTF) like J-Lo : something you definitely can not do in Zimbabwe. But then again- there’s the added stress of:

“How to look good in gazillion layers of warm clothing” – Fionna G. (16yrs)

Whats in for Netherlands Teens:
1.Leggings/Tights
2.Shortest skirt you can find!
3.Fur – is always in during winter
4.Ski jacket (with a belt please) – so as to not appear as a big round blob
5.Black boots ( low or high cut)
6.Trendy Sneakers
7.Tank tops
8.Striped jumpers and monoprint scarfs aswell as fingerless gloves
9.Zip-up hoodie

The only limit offcourse is the “moody” weather nevertheless they all dress to kill: where “kill” has two meanings:
1) It’s soooooo different you really feel like gagging (Never be caught dead in it)
2) It’s soooooo WOW you can’t stop staring ( Dying to be caught dead in it)

Yolanda-Lin M

Setting goals to achieve goals.

 Setting goals can be easy.  Whether they are short or long term, you need to think about what you are doing to achieve those goals. First thing first, analyze your goal and be realistic.  Why is this goal important, when do you want to reach this goal, how does this goal affect others, how are you going to put your goal in motion, what materials do you need, these are all questions you need to ask yourself.  All the negative energy around you, get rid of it! You are on a mission and negativity will not be accepted, you have too many things to accomplish to let other’s negative thoughts and actions influence you in any way.  

       
      • Prep yourself
Make sure you have all the necessary tools and material needed to execute your goal.  This will help you in the long run. You will be prepared, and this will eliminate all the problems to come.  If you need training, education or just want to gain experience this would be a great time to start.
      • Give yourself a timeline
Give yourself a realistic timeline.  You want to be a dancer?  Training can and will take time, years, be prepared for that kind of commitment with dedication and determination.  If you want to put on a play, give your self a few weeks to a couple of months to get a script, cast members, performance space and costumes.  Whatever your goal may be, just be realistic with it, you don’t want to give yourself too little time, to the point where you are rushed and stressed out, but you also don’t want to give too much time, that you slack off and don’t push yourself.
      •  Evaluate your progress
Periodically, you want to see how much time has passed and see how much progress you have made. How much have you achieved in your goal? Have you stumbled across an obstacle, how did you overcome it?  Are you that much closer to achieving your goal? Was there an error anywhere, if so that’s okay, that’s why you are evaluating yourself.  You want to evaluate your progress, not only to keep you on track, but to keep you moving forward.
      • Be consistent
Work towards your goal daily. This will also help to motivate you. The more consistent you are, the quicker you will meet your goal. And if you have a short term goal, this will allow you to start on your long term goal.
      • Support, Feedback and Support!!
Do you have a support team? Any one you can lean on to lend a helping hand? They can be a parent, a close friend, a teacher or another family member, just someone who can and will support you, encourage you and give you constructive criticism when needed.  Always keep positive motivating influences in your life. You will need advice, so these are the influences you turn to. The encouragement you will receive will be uplifting!
      •  Achieve
With all that hard work and dedication, your goal is now in action. Even if it takes longer than you thought, that’s alright, as long as you are pushing yourself and striving for something, you’re going in the right direction.  Goals are all about pushing yourself.  If you’re pushing yourself, remember, you’re almost there! Keep up the good work and keep moving forward.
Now, remember: Motivation, Dedication, and Determination. 🙂
Lavonnah

Step Up Your Game with a Mentor!

The Gye Nyame Empowerment Project, a non-profit organization that creates programs for teens, is providing with dynamic mentoring opportunity. The organization is selecting female, high school sophomores and working with them over a two-year period to reach their goals. This is great chance to be paired with women, who are executives and entrepreneurs and learning how they achieved career or business success. It will also give teen girls an open forum to discuss challenges and talking to someone, so they can work through those moments and move forward with confidence.

If you’re interested, send in the application below:

For questions about this program, email the GNEP team:s2sstories@gmail.com