I am still thinking about my discussion with TEEN TRUTH film director Erahm Christopher after watching clips from the TEEN TRUTH: PARENTS & FAMILY film he is currently working on. I was actually just like one of those troubled 15-year-olds that I saw in the film and I think one very important thing I forgot to stress was that it's not enough for parents to love their children, and not even enough to tell them that they love them. We have to show them that ...

How do you SHOW your love? Do you assume that your friends and family know how you feel? Or do you take the time to TELL them the TRUTH  about what's on your mind and in your heart? Relationships take work - there's just no way to around it! We've all had relationships that challenge us. Sometimes we worry that it's just not "cool" to tell people the TRUTH about how much we care about them. And sometimes when the going gets rough, it's appealing to think about just ignoring the demands our relationships make on us. But when we take ...

"Lose 10 pounds by July 4th! Get six-pack abs in 10 days!" Bathing suit season is upon us and many of us are SCARED!!! It is that time of the year when we have to get half-naked, expose our body, and show the world every one of our flaws, insecurities, and imperfect body parts. I used to hate bathing suit season. I would read every magazine I could get my hands on, from Glamour, to Women’s Health, to Cosmo, hoping the latest diet could get me thin enough ...

Creating social justice and social change is no small feat - it takes energy, commitment and creativity. Yes, creativity! The process of creating change - whether it's social, environmental or personal - requires seeing things from another perspective, being open to new possibilities, and being willing to make mistakes in order to learn what works. That's the creative process in its most basic form. This Wednesday, May 12th, Erahm Christopher will screen TEEN TRUTH: BULLY & SCHOOL VIOLENCE at Santa Clara University as part of this year's Justice and the Arts GUEST SPEAKER SERIES. He'll talk about his inspiration behind ...

“Spread the word to end the word! Special Olympics! Sign the pledge!” I shouted over and over again at a busy spot on my college campus. March 3rd marked the second annual day of awareness to end the pejorative, everyday use of the word “retard(ed)”. At the University of Kansas, we collected nearly 400 signatures. They filled the whole banner and I was quite impressed. Then I thought about the 25,000 undergrad students enrolled at KU. We probably had several thousand students just walk by without ...

FULLERTON -- As dozens of bright yellow busses pulled alongside the sunny practice fields at Cal State Fullerton Friday, thousands of high school students lined up to give the passengers the red-carpet treatment -- a human corridor of applause and cheers. The people streaming out of the busses all had different special needs. Some have developmental problems and others have physical difficulties, such as impaired sight or an inability to walk. But they all paired up with high school students at the 25th annual Kathleen E. Faley Memorial Special Games, a day of all-inclusive sports and music that provides understanding and entertainment ...

RIPON -- A few months ago, gripped by grief, Melinda Shaw decided she'd create a lasting memory of the daughter who died so tragically last year. Before 17-year- old Marissa McLeod took her own life Dec. 1, the Ripon High senior had begun collecting dresses for winter formals and proms, to give to girls who otherwise could not afford them. Shaw decided to continue with her daughter's work through "Marissa's Closet." In February, with help from family members and friends, Shaw set what at the time seemed like an overly ambitious goal: collecting and distributing 700 dresses. Jeff Jardine's column appears Sundays, Tuesdays ...

TEEN TRUTH Co-Founder, JC Pohl, recently made a surprise visit to a previous client in California to thank a few students for making a big difference on their school campus. One month after delivering a TEEN TRUTH LIVE: BULLY experience, a student brought two handguns on the Middle School campus. Several anonymous students who saw the guns immediately reported the firearms to the administration and in less than thirty minutes, the student offender and the guns were safely removed from the school grounds. We are extremely proud of these students and their courage to tell the TRUTH. The school administration expressed ...