From East Tennessee comes Young Pens, a non-profit organization where youth can submit their writing of any kind to a board of editors. On the About page, Young Pens mentions that they help writers revise and review, in addition to helping writers get published. On the site, you can read quotations from members and check out many of the group's favorite books. Young Pens also features several different programs for students and teachers including contests, teacher awards, an online forum, support and advice, and workshops. The Poetry page showcases many creative and insightful poems, and the online "web pubs portal" lets anyone read the poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or comment on the writing. At 300 members and growing, we think all local libraries and schools should have sites like this that encourage young writers.

Fresh Films, a national filmaking program "where the pros are replaced by teens," introduces teens to the world of movie making first hand (Note: Fresh Films is also a Ypulse advertiser). The history of the program begins with, "like many great ideas, Fresh Films began in the shower," and then goes on to say that the program grew out of the creative director's work with inner-city teens in an after school program.

This summer the Fresh Films crew will fly to 10 cities where 10 teens in each city will make a film. The films will be voted on by their peers (online) and the top film will be highlighted and honored at a final Samsung Fresh Films event. Since the site is in Flash, we can't link to past films - but click on "Films" and you'll find them easily.

One of the site's unique features is a "Girls in the Director's Chair" program in which they encourage "teen girls to express their creativity and individuality, build their confidence and ultimately reach their potential" by becoming directors. Another interesting initiative is "Fresh Sounds," in which unsigned bands can submit original works to be included in the films.

Note from Anastasia: This project is a fascinating hybrid of youth media and corporate sponsorship. Definitely a case study for my non-profit readers to check out.

Based in South Florida, Today's Teen Online is definitely part of the "by and for teens" genre. It began in print as a newspaper and has expanded online to reach a larger audience. Almost all of the content is teen created, but the site also has a group of professionals who write in response to teen requests on matters such as psychology, fitness, and more. The site features a variety of poems and some feature stories on topics like long distance relationships and the "real women" advertising blitz. The site even has an article on pop religion (for more on this, see our Celebritology post on Ypulse!).

The Music Edge, a non-profit Web resource and online music magazine established in May 2003, lets young people post mp3s of their original music, be it solo, band, rock, country, or any other kind of music. The site also includes concert reviews and tips for playing different instruments like drums or the bass. The music communty seems really supportive of these up and coming young musicians. In order to download songs you have to be a member but, as the site says, it's important to "BE HEARD."

P.S. We love the unconventional band names like CycolseraN, Jhomi, Minor, and Psychobilly and the Soda Jerks.

Watch the future of local news on Channel 16 (SPNN) in Saint Paul, MN. The Website states that their "purpose is to air educational, school, and youth-produced programming in the Saint Paul community." They air 10 hours of youth video each week. The most recent video is about conquering stereotypes. Check it out here.

Teen Angels is a group of teens ages 13-18 who have been trained by local officials about safety, privacy and security online. The "angels" are part of a division of Wiredsafety.org and go to schools to educate other teens, teachers and parents about staying safe online. Take a look at the "Meet Us" section to learn about teens staying safe on the net and sharing their stories. The online safety tips for teens are also very useful. Check out the site — if you're interested, you can even start your own chapter.

Note from Anastasia: There is also a Teen Angels Myspace blog as well. I think the teen speak cryptic writing/spelling is weak, and they only have four friends (including Tom and Mary-Kate and Ashley). This bums me out b/c I think this stuff is important…So why not create a cooler page run by real teens? Maybe one of the agencies that reads Ypulse could take on Wired Safety as a pro-bono client, make the whole Teen Angels initiative feel cooler, more authentic and more appealing to teens (young and older). It would make for a nice press release.

Idealist.org Kids & Teens offers a wealth of resources and ideas for youth who want to make a difference. The site lists different organizations started by teens. Idealist also provides resources for teens and kids who want to develop their own projects. One featured resource is Youth Venture, the organization that funded our last two community-based projects! Teens today want to make a difference and are finding out how.

Freevibe.com, the website produced by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, provides information for teens on stress management, drug facts and an option for teens to submit their anti-drug. The message boards are active with teens sharing stories and asking questions about everything from peer pressure to saying no to drugs. The website gives resources for teens, and profiles real teens whose lives have been affected by drugs and other pressures. Check out Freevibe.com — you'll find an entire community of Gen Y teens staying safe and talking about it.

UC Haven is a student-run Website connecting Utah County high schoolers with the latest local news and entertainment. The "heart" of the UC Haven site is its forums. From site's "About Us" description:

"The heart of the website is our forums. Where you can talk smack about other teams, discuss music and movies, debate about politics, basically anything you can think of, you can talk about. Now obviously you can talk about these things just about anywhere on the net, but the great thing about UC Haven, is you are talking to kids in your own area. It makes it much more enjoyable experience to have people relate to you."

We checked out the forums and found them to be active and interesting. Topics range from politcs to gaming to student life. Thre are threads where teens can comment on the site design or dating dynamics. There are even threads for high school sports where teens can vote on who they think will win. This could definitely catch on if other high school students created sites with a similar goal — linking local teens.

Note from Anastasia: Props to Katie and Julia for being covered in their local paper!

The Canadian literary magazine, Tickled by Thunder reserves a center spread for student writing in each publication. The main page features a 12-year-old's poem on "Nothingness." The site also features ideas for teachers, such as the ChapBook — a cheap way to get published on your own. Submissions can be sent online, and the magazine features an online subscription as well.