Guidance for Grown-ups Teen Voices Online  
 

Welcome to Guidance for Grown-ups, the area on our site where educators can get guidance for leading discussions and activities with teen groups to get them talking and thinking about important topics.

ABOUT GUIDANCE FOR GROWN-UPS

  • A discussion and activity guide for a key topic related to a feature article on our site every month. This month's articles and topic are listed below.


  • Each Discussion Guide includes questions, exercises and special resources to help educators encourage active discussion about difficult issues facing teens.


  • Discussion Guides are currently free for your use and will be archived monthly. You can help support the program by becoming a member or by donating.


  • Want to know more? Click here for TIPS on how to best use our new feature "Guidance for Grown-ups" with teen groups.

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED GROWN-UP GUIDES

  • THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT TEEN “CHICK LIT”: Click here for activities to help teens learn about the definition of "chick lit" and the roots of its current popularity.

  • NO MORE DRAMA!: Click here for strategies to help teens explore the root causes and patterns of the drama in their lives.

PREVIOUS GROWN-UP GUIDES

  • RAPE AS A WEAPON OF WAR: Click here for activities to help teens learn about what’s happening to women in the Congo, share their knowledge, and think critically about stigma and shame.

  • GROWING UP MULTIRACIAL : Click here for strategies to address the complex nature of racial identity in a culture that is increasingly mixed.

  • BREATH EASIER WHEN YOU TAKE ACTION FOR ASTHMA : Click here for ways to to help teens understand asthma’s symptoms, triggers, and prevalence among their teen peers.

  • WHY TEENS NEED THEIR ZZZs : Click here for ways to help teens evaluate their personal sleep patterns and compare them to other members of the group.

  • GENDER EQUITY IN CHILDREN'S MEDIA : Click here for ways to ask teens to reflect on the media they consumed in their younger years, and what it meant to them.

  • CHINESE NEW YEAR : Click here to learn about the origins and traditions of the Chinese New Year.

  • GO-TO GRANDMOTHERS : Click here for ways to discuss roles grandmothers have played in their lives.

  • TAKING THE "MEAN" OUT OF MEAN GIRLS : Click here for activities and discussion points to explore the “mean girl” experience of teen girls.

  • BREAKING DOWN THE BLUES : Click here for ways to discussion depression and teens as well as ways to help others experiencing depression.

  • READING RACISM AND TAKING ACTION: Click here for ways to discuss racism and segregation—both in history and in current situations—and how to take action against them.

  • WAR, PEACE AND POETRY: Click here for examples of poetry and activities about war and violence that you can use with teens.

  • THE VIRGINITY QUESTION: Click here for ways to discuss the various definitions of virginity and why it's such a loaded issue for teens everywhere.

  • TAKING ACTION FOR AUTISM: Click here to explore what autism is and to find out how teens can become activists on issues of concern to them.

  • BREAKING THROUGH THE BILLBOARD: Click here to learn about how teens can engage in media literacy and ways to be a media activist.


  • RACIAL/ETHNIC IDENTITIES AND ALLIES: Click here for ways to explore your own and other's ethnicities as well as how to deal with feeling pulled between different parts of your identity.


  • MEDIA MESSAGES: Click here for activities and discussion points about the different ways the media influences teens.


  • PREGNANCY PAUSE: Click here for suggested discussion points and activities concerning teen pregnancy and how to deal with the news that you are pregnant.


  • DOES THE MILITARY WANT YOU? Click here for ways to discuss how the U.S. military is recruiting youth.


  • SPEAK UP!: Click here for ways to encourage teens to be critical of the media they are exposed to and have a voice in shaping it.


  • ANIMAL RIGHTS AND WRONGS: Click here to explore different viewpoints concerning animal rights and the treatment of animals by the cosmetics industry.


  • ADVENTUROUS GIRLS: Click here for ways to explore outdoor adventures and examine how society sees "outdoorsy girls."


  • UNDERSTANDING OCD: Click here for activities to become more aware of OCD and how it affects teens.


  • DISCOVER JAPAN: Click here to find ways of investigating what life for teens in Japan is like.


  • CHEERING FOR RESPECT: Click here to find ways to discuss the issue of respect for girls and women in athletics, and to debate the question, “Is cheerleading a sport?”


  • GOING BACK TO SCHOOL: Click here for ways to discuss transitioning back to school and dealing with the anxieties and expectations of a new year.


  • MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR DARFUR: Click here for ways to discuss the dire situation in Darfur and how to become active in raising awareness and creating change.


  • STAYING TRUE BLUE TO YOU: Click here to explore the pressures on teens to fit in and ways to stay true to yourself.


  • HIGH-TECH GIRL TALK: Click here for suggestions on how to discuss safe vs. unsafe online communication.


  • GETTING THROUGH LOSS AND GRIEF: Click here for ideas and activities associated with teens' experience of grief and loss.


  • RITES OF PASSAGE FOR TEEN GIRLS: Click here for ideas and activities to explore the issue of coming of age in many different cultures.

  • DEPRESSION: Click here to find activities and discussion ideas for teens.


  • LOVING YOUR STORY: Click here to explore ideas and activities in helping teens find their personal expression.


  • INDEPENDENCE: Click here to find ideas, activities, and suggestions in helping teens explore independence, dependence, and interdependence.


  • PILLAR PROJECT: Click here to explore the several ways that teens can support their communities.


  • WE ARE FAMILY: Click here for ideas on how to use our featured articles on family and family trees with your teens.


Guidance for Grownups is developed and written by writing consultant Erin Trahan.

Have you used Guidance for Grown-ups with your class or teen group? Tell us which ones you used and what kind of success you had with it. Did you put your own spin on it? Let us know.

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