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by Molly McCall
Tue, August 14, 2007, 3:00 am PDT

This public service ad campaign distributed 20 video cameras to 20 teens and captured a telling portrait of their struggles to graduate from high school. These at-risk students had the license to film and speak freely; what they came back with reminds us how hard it is to be young, and how critical it is to have someone to give you a  "boost" of support. From Travis in New Orleans to JR in Seattle; from Hannah in Milton, Vermont to Cindy in Chicago, each of these 11th and 12th graders faces some obstacle to seeing his or her name on a diploma—and all have someone who's egging them on. We particularly recommend the clips from Roderick. The senior from South Central L.A. speaks eloquently of how tough reading can be, what a "Rock 'n Roll freak" he is, how creepy it is to be checked out by a gang-banger, and how his grandma motivates him.
by Molly McCall
Sat, December 02, 2006, 3:00 am PST

Before MySpace ruled the roost, the diary was the go-to spot for teens to vent. Young people put pencil to paper and recorded the deepest, darkest truths of their wildly beating hearts. Yet, while many diarists saved those key-locked records, few dip back into them adults. Why? Because all that ranting and "reflecting" can make a 30-year-old feel a bit... mortified. Now, a "grassroots comedy collective" by that very name has inspired a surprising number of grown-ups to return to their adolescent scribbling and read passages aloud on stage. Lights, laughter, and all the gusty emotions of adolescence—it sounds like an anxiety nightmare, but it's actually a nationwide tour, a book, and a bona fide sensation. Even if Mortified isn't coming through your town, you can always check it out online. Start with other people's posts and photos, where accounts of "forign" style kissing and worlds crumbling "in all of 45 minutes" vie for attention with portraits of jazz dancers and "low rent superheroes."

Filed under: Humor, Teens, Journals

by Molly McCall
Fri, September 08, 2006, 3:00 am PDT

In 2003, Roger Bennett and Jules Shell flipped the switch on the Bar Mitzvah Disco, creating an irrefutable account of the big hair and braces ritual. Now, these chroniclers of their time have launched a new project, one destined to rival the Disco in style, verve, and, yes, cultural import: Camp Camp. With a photographic exhibit and accompanying book also in the works, Roger and Jules intend to relate the true tale, once and for all, of the American camp experience in the '70s and '80s. Already they have collected evidence of sweat socks, soccer, and space camp. So if you shipped off to sleep-away camp, rode the bus to day camp, or shot off detailed missives to those who did, step up and contribute. And as you do, remember the Camp Camp motto: friendship, loyalty, and courage FOREVER.

Filed under: Outdoors, Teens

by Molly McCall
Tue, May 09, 2006, 3:00 am PDT

Every prom story is unique. But some are more unique than others. Take Manny's prom, for instance. He brought a vacuum as his date—and lived to tell about it. In Vince and Brian's quest for the incomparable night, they decided to be the guys who wrote the evening's song. The chorus went as follows:

I want to go to prahhhhhm,
Tuxedo paid for by my mahhhhhm,
My date looked like the bahhhhhmb,
So hot she set off alaaaaahrms.

Their tune didn't play until the very end, but it earned them accolades for the rest of the school year (which, sadly, ended two days later). Finally, consider the entire town of Racine, Wisconsin. It throws a citywide prom bash each year that rivals the Academy Awards, Mardi Gras, and the MTV Video Music Awards. Combined.

Filed under: Movies, Teens

Fri, October 29, 2004, 3:00 am PDT

Teenagers often complain (loudly) that nobody pays attention to what they have to say, but the truth is, teens have a tremendous influence on our culture. Teen Chicago explores just how "teenagers affect Chicago's history, and how growing up in Chicago affects the way people think, act, and feel." Don't worry, it's not as dry as it sounds. The online exhibition includes pictures of unfortunate teen hairstyles from decades past, as well as anecdotes on how parental supervision may have changed, but the high school social structure is just as rigid as ever. By covering the four areas that have historically affected all teens -- work, school, home, and play -- this site definitely drives home the old maxim that the more things change...


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