Web Sites for Specific Audiences

Youth/Teen Sites

Some web sites communicate to youth directly, offering them a sense of empowerment.  In general, their approach is designed to hold the attention of youth, elementary school age through young adulthood.

Teen Angels is a group of 13-18 year old volunteers who spread the word about safe surfing on the Internet (www.teenangels.org).

University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ (UMDNJ), University Behavioral Health Center, Office of Prevention Services and Research offers training sessions and training kits designed for youth and teens on topics such as bullying prevention, good decision-making, promoting resilience, and mediation training  (http://ubhc.umdnj.edu/OPSR/programs/index.htm).

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (NYVPRC)’s teen site offers information on bullying, dating, war, terrorism, conflict resolution, hate crimes, youth gangs, and helping others in distress, among other topics, as well as offers empowering prevention strategies to reduce violence among teens (http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/teens.asp).

Advocates for Youth offers a teen site on peer education, empowerment, information, and support as teens confront a wide variety of reproductive and sexual health issues and grapple with making responsible decisions (http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/youth/index.htm).

FEMA for Kids teaches children how to be prepared for various types of natural and other disasters.  It is child-friendly, using cartoon characters, but no specific age range is cited.  Children need reading and computer skills (http://www.fema.gov/kids/).

Narconon International focuses on drug prevention and rehabilitation.  It distributes drug prevention and drug education information that attempts to change students’ minds from possibly trying or using drugs.  A peer leader training program is geared to appropriate age groups (www.narconon.org).

GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) works to make schools safe and affirming places by offering teens information on leadership skills and how to organize a local GLSEN chapter.  A student library is available (http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/student/student/index.html).

National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign focuses on students, teachers, counselors, and parents to prevent or reduce youth violence.  It offers action kits, videos, and activity books (http://www.violencepreventionweek.org/index.html?menu=wheel&show=youth).

Guidance Channel provides tips to share with teens to help them get along better with friends, other students at school, parents, and siblings as well as get students and their friends talking about violence prevention (http://www.guidancechannel.org/default.aspx?index=1859&cat=13).

Wired Kids offers age-specific resources for children and teens, 7-17 years, to ensure online safety (http://www.wiredkids.org/kids/index.html), (http://www.wiredkids.org/teens/index.html), and (http://www.wiredkids.org/tweens/index.html). 

Center for the Prevention of School Violence offers a creative and comprehensive “floor plan” for whole school involvement in preventing school violence, including a site for students to empower them to participate as partners in school programs to reduce violence (http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/lobby.html). 

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sponsors Don’t Believe the Type, to teach youth to better protect themselves from online sexual predators in cooperation with “cybertipline.com” (http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/CampaignServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2023).

Internet Super Heroes uses 5 age-specific superheroes (e.g., X-Men, Spider Man, etc.) to educate young children about Internet safety and cyberbullying (http://www.internetsuperheroes.org/). 

Kids Growth provides a site for teens about health and mental health issues, body image issues, physical development, and sexuality (www.kidsgrowth.com).

Ambiente Joven is a Spanish language web site for sexually active Latino youth.  It offers culturally relevant resources and support (www.ambientejoven.org).

Just Think Twice, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a teen-friendly site offering multimedia and video information on illegal drugs and their adverse effects (http://www.justthinktwice.com).

Wired Safety informs youth how to surf the Internet safely (http://www.wiredsafety.org/youth.html).

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) is the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization.  It operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE and conducts programs to prevent sexual assault, help victims, and ensure that offenders are brought to justice.  Its What Should I Do? section addresses the following questions for teens:  What should I do if I am sexually assaulted?  How can I help a friend who has been sexually assaulted?  and What can I do to reduce my risk of sexual assault? as well as offers self-help books suggested by survivors   (http://www.rainn.org/whatshould.html).

Childhelp USA focuses efforts on prevention, research, and treatment to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of abused and neglected children.  It sponsors the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD or 1-800-422-4453) that is free and open 365 days to help children, and adults who are worried about children they suspect are being abused, in an anonymous setting.  Communication in 140 languages is possible using 3-way conversations with the helper, the caller, and the nearest assistance. (http://www.childhelpusa.org/forkids_help.htm).

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (NYVPRC) offers bilingual resources for youth, professionals, and parents working to prevent violence committed by and against youth.  It functions as a comprehensive access for information and materials about programs, publications, fact sheets, and research to prevent violence and suicide among youth.  Its site for teens offers fact sheets about bullying, conflict resolution, hate crimes, and dating violence, among others, as well as provides an empowering review about what teens can do to help prevent youth violence and how to help victims (http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/teens.asp).

Cyber Tip Line offers a bilingual teen site, Don’t Believe the Type.  It helps teens surf safer on the Internet and avoid inappropriate chatrooms (http://tcs.cybertipline.com/).  These resources are available in Spanish (http://tcs.cybertipline.com/spanish/).

American Red Cross provides a variety of age-appropriate workbooks, coloring books, posters, and videos for children, adolescents, and teens to prepare for a wide variety of natural and other disasters.  Many activities are available in Spanish (http://www.redcross.org/pubs/dspubs/childmatls.html).

The Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Teaching Tolerance” project provides teen and youth sites.  The teen site offers information on wrestling with stereotypes and how to meet new people.  Teens may organize a Mix It Up at Lunch Day on November 15, a national event to challenge and bring down the walls that divide schools and facilitate student interaction.  The youth site, Planet Tolerance, provides interactive stories, searching for hidden images on diversity and intolerance, and how to join a mural dedicated to unity and justice (http://www.tolerance.org/pt/index.html) and (http://www.tolerance.org/teens/lunch.jsp).

Global Youth Connect builds and supports a community of youth who are actively promoting and protecting human rights.  Educated, compassionate, and empowered youth are the key to achieving tolerance, peace, and justice through a commitment to the principles of human rights, community building, reconciliation, and peaceful resolution of conflicts (http://www.globalyouthconnect.org/).