Are you following the lives of Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Pipa Middleton, Drake (congrats to him for earning his GED this month), Usher, or Justin Timerlake? New pregnancies, hot couples, divorces, altercations, arrests, CD releases — sometimes the title of pop culture critic fits me very well. Other times I wish I could make the celebrity drama disappear from the headlines or at least completely erase it from my consciousness. I would never want to earn my paycheck as a pop culture analyst but I try to abreast of the big things happening in Hollywood. Why? Because I am a firm believer in meeting youth where they are I can’t turn away completely.
I always infuse real life examples in my discussions and workshops with young people. More often than not the youth are engulfed in the lives of celebrities so I engage them in conversations and activities about strengths and weaknesses, challenges and triumphs, loyalty and disappointments, and reality versus fantasy. For better or worse many young people regard actors and musicians as role models. I instituted our SPOTLIGHT Teen of the Month feature to provide a positive alternative to Hollywood celebrity worship.
Our goal in celebrating SPOTLIGHT Teen of the Month is two-fold. We want to combat the numerous negative stereotypes of teenagers that make front page news and also motivate teens to get involved in their community and strive to attain a vocation that doesn’t glorify violence, drunkenness, nudity and profanity.
We invite you to nominate a teen for our “SPOTLIGHT Teen of the Month” feature which recognizes a youth in the foster care system (14-21) that is leading a life of promise and making a positive impact in his or her community. Nominations are accepted on a continuous basis.
To nominate a teen, submit an email to info@theteentoolbox.com with the following information:
- Name, Current Grade or Employer, State Residing In
- Special Activities/Talents/Abilities
- Hobbies & Interests
- Activities & Projects
- Goals & Aspirations
- Advice to Other Youth in Foster Care
- Current photograph of youth
- Name and relationship of person submitting nomination
You might also be interested in our blog: “Is SPOTLIGHT Teen of the Month Safe?” ?”
Nicki Sanders, MSW, Chief Visionary Officer
The Teen Toolbox provides youth portfolio development and civic engagement and academic empowerment strategies to help teens set goals for life after high school and create a road map to reach those goals through its PACKAGED FOR SUCCESS™ Programs.