BEAUTY WITHIN ~ TEEN ESTEEM ™

Opinion: I went from being an addict to helping others quit : After three years of sober living, I am an AOD — Alcohol and Other Drug — abuse counselor at Father Joe’s Village in San Diego It's inspiring to hear about at-risk youth who turn their lives around. These individuals have overcome significant challenges and adversity, and their stories can serve as a beacon of hope for others facing similar circumstances.

If you are moving, be sure to update your voter registration information as soon as possible. You can usually do this online or by mail. If you are unsure whether you are registered to vote, you can check your voter registration status online or by contacting your state's election office. If you have any questions about voter registration, please contact your state's election office. They will be happy to help. Register to vote for your upcoming election and every election. To get started, fill out the form below.

Get to know your campus Take a tour of your campus before you move in, if possible. This will help you to get familiar with the layout of the campus and to find all the important places, such as the library, the student center, and your classes. Meet your roommates If you have roommates, try to get to know them before you move in. You can do this by connecting with them on social media or by setting up a video chat. This will help you to break the ice and to start building a relationship with them. Get organized  College can be a lot to juggle, so it is important to be organized. Create a schedule for yourself and stick to it as much as possible. It is also a good idea to have a system for organizing your notes and assignments. Do not be afraid to ask for help If you are struggling in a class or if you are having trouble adjusting to college life, do not be afraid to ask for help. There are many resources available to students, such as tutors, academic advisors, and counselor...

The US stands alone as one of the few advanced countries that allow people convicted of felonies to be blocked from voting after they leave prison. The policy in Mississippi underscores how these laws, rooted in the explicit racism of the Jim Crow south, continue to have discriminatory consequences today.

Teens' inexperience behind the wheel makes them more susceptible to distraction behind the wheel. One in three teens who text say they have done so while driving. Is your teen one of them? Research has found that dialing a phone number while driving increases your teen's risk of crashing by six times, and texting while driving increases the risk by 23 times. Talking or texting on the phone takes your teen's focus off the task of driving, and significantly reduces their ability to react to a roadway hazard, incident, or inclement weather.

If you find out your child is bullying others, it's important to take action immediately.  Here are some steps you can take: Stay calm and listen to your child. It's important to listen to your child's perspective without judgment. This will help you understand why they are bullying others and what they are hoping to achieve. Let your child know that bullying is wrong. Explain that bullying is hurtful and can have serious consequences for the victim. Help your child understand that there are other ways to deal with their problems, such as talking to an adult or finding a peaceful solution. Set clear consequences for your child's behavior. The consequences should be age-appropriate and should fit the severity of the bullying. For example, you might take away your child's privileges, ground them, or require them to apologize to the victim. Get help from a professional. If you are struggling to deal with your child's bullying behavior, you may want to get help from...

 A new museum of African American history in South Carolina stands on a former wharf that was among the world's largest landing sites for enslaved Africans. The International African American Museum (IAAM) is a museum in Charleston, South Carolina that tells the story of the African American experience from its origins in Africa to the present day. The museum is located on Gadsden's Wharf, which was the point of entry for an estimated 45% of enslaved Africans who arrived in the United States. The IAAM is the first international African American museum in the world. This means that it tells the story of the African American experience not just in the United States, but also in other parts of the world, such as the Caribbean, South America, and Europe. The museum also explores the connections between the African American experience and the broader African diaspora. Having an international African American museum is important because it helps to broaden our understanding of the Af...

Trans Pride LA 2023 Tickets, Fri, Jun 16, 2023 at 5:00 PM | Los Angeles LGBT Center presents Trans Pride LA 2023 - Friday, June 16, 2023 | Saturday, June 17, 2023 at Los Angeles LGBT Center: Pride Hall on the Anita May Rosenstein Campus, Los Angeles, CA. Find event and ticket information.

On June 10th, over 1.5 million college students will be at risk of losing SNAP (food stamps) benefits, may have a reduction in the amount they receive, or may need to provide additional information when recertifying, because eligibility requirements are changing now that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency has ended. Unfortunately, information about these changes has not been widely spread. Click HERE for information about student eligibility for SNAP, and links to applying in your state.  

It has been almost one year since the Supreme Court’s harmful decision eliminating the constitutional right to abortion. Since then, many states throughout the country have banned or severely restricted abortion and stripped people of the freedom to control their own lives.  This year, we’re relaunching our Artists for Planned Parenthood initiative and offering paid commissions to artists from around the country for work exploring individual and collective narratives around: What a world with full reproductive freedom would look and feel like. What reproductive freedom means in the current landscape. What it means to have the power, agency, and access to be able to make your own reproductive health care decisions without interference.  This is a space for hope, rage, strength – a space to process the current landscape for reproductive health, rights, and justice.   Learn more and fill out the submission form: planned.org/artists. The deadline to submit is March 26, 2023.

The goal seeks to reduce the number of new HIV infections in the United States by 75 percent by 2025, and then by at least 90 percent by 2030, for an estimated 250,000 total HIV infections averted. WE CAN DO THIS! In the last two decades, the world has made incredible progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS in large part due to PEPFAR (the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). Since the bipartisan program was launched, 25 million lives have been saved. The global fight against HIV/AIDS has made the world safer and people’s lives more prosperous. PEPFAR not only fights HIV/AIDS, but helps build resilient health systems in low-income countries so they can identify and contain other viruses. Strengthening health systems helps ensure that deadly outbreaks don’t reach America’s shores. (One.org) ADD YOUR NAME WITH ONE CLICK  

Acceptance is the ability to see that others have a right to be their own unique persons. That means having a right to their own feelings, thoughts and opinions. When you accept people for who they are, you let go of your desire to change them. Three kinds of acceptance I'm focused on in the new year : Acceptance is such a gift, for ourselves and others. This year, I will be focused on three types of acceptance...want to join me?