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''Teen Voices'' was an intensive journalism, mentoring, and leadership program for teen girls in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, and published the first magazine in the United States with alternative content created by and for teenage girls. Its mission was to support and educate teen girls to amplify their voices and create social change through media.


History

Teen Voices was founded in 1988 as Women's Express, Inc., by Alison Amoroso and Christine Diamond, two young women who believed in the power of writing to heal and create positive social change. They conceived of a quarterly magazine as a platform for teen girls to explore their concerns, express their views, and develop confidence as feminist leaders. The founding members solicited writing from teen girls and educators across the country and provided curriculum and workshops to schools, YWCAs, girls’ detention facilities, and other community programs. The first issue was published in 1990 and included girls’ poetry and articles on date rape, violence prevention, and teen motherhood. A supplementary online magazine launched at www.teenvoices.com in 1999. A sister chapter called Bay Area Teen Voices (BATV) operated in San Francisco, California, from 1996 until 2003. BATV published features in ''Teen Voices'' magazine, in addition to creating zines and hosting events for local teens to present their work and engage in conversation. A signature effort was a two-year collaboration with the Solutions Group, based in San Francisco's Juvenile Hall, which created a month-long “Girls in the Hall” exhibit at the Boys and Girls Club in the Mission District, using girls’ poetry, essays, photos, and audio recordings to raise public awareness about the plight of the predominantly Black and Latinx girls in the city's juvenile justice pipeline. In 2003, the original Boston-based Teen Voices moved to a new downtown headquarters, where over the next decade, it expanded its international readership and programming for Boston-based girls. At its peak, ''Teen Voices'' had 45,000 print readers from more than 200 countries and received more than 6 million page views annually. In 2012, Teen Voices ceased operations due to financial challenges. Women's eNews carried the Teen Voice legacy brand online, continuing to publish content by and about teen girls for several more years. In 2021, a group of former staff launched the Teen Voices Legacy Project to collect and preserve stories from Teen Voices 24-year history. A complete collection of the magazines, along with organizational files and the oral histories of dozens of participants will be available at the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University.


Content

Teen Voices magazine, which published 63 issues from 1990 to 2021, focused on social justice issues and encouraged girls to become critical media consumers. It also encouraged teen girls around the world to speak out on issues, create positive and powerful media, and lead change in their communities. The magazine's tagline, “You’re more than a pretty face,” encapsulated its commitment to presenting the ideas and experiences of teen girls on their own terms. In contrast to advertisement-heavy mainstream publications that sexualized young women and promoted narrow standards of beauty, ''Teen Voices'' celebrated girls’ resilience and achievement, challenged mainstream cultural norms and media/advertising practices, and promoted girls’ activism on a range of social and economic justice issues. ''
Women's E-News ''Women's eNews'' is a nonprofit online news service based in New York City. It was founded by the late Rita Jensen. Lori Sokol, PhD, now leads the organization, assuming the title of Executive Director since July, 2016. Women's eNews publishes inte ...
'' reports that the teens who write for ''Teen Voices'' "gain journalism skills, while ''Teen Voices readers receive a magazine that deals with serious societal issues--minus the celebrity profiles, fashion advice and dating tips common to most teen publications." According to the non-profit's website, ''Teen Voices'' "challenges the status quo and changes the status of girls and young women by presenting a view of girls that is more positive, more in depth, more diverse, and more supportive than mainstream images." ''Teen Voices'' accepted submissions from teen girls around the world. Girls aged 13–19 could submit art, poetry, reviews, fiction and nonfiction content for possible publication. The Spring/Summer 2010 issue of ‘’Teen Voices’’ contains cover stories on
sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the ...
, writing college essays,
bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...
, and instructions on staying safe and professional online. It includes interviews with photojournalist
Scout Tufankjian Scout Tufankjian is an Armenian- American photojournalist and author based in Brooklyn, New York. She is well known for her photos of American President Barack Obama during his campaign leading up to his presidency. She is also known for her phot ...
,
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
's Del Harvey, and actress
Anna Deavere Smith Anna Deavere Smith is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She is known for her roles as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally in ''The West Wing'' (2000–06), hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus in the Showtime series ''Nur ...
. The Fall/Winter 2011 issue of ‘’Teen Voices’’ commemorated Teen Voices’ 20th year of print publishing. This issue contains articles on the dangers of
sexting Sexting is sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or videos, primarily between mobile phones. It may also include the use of a computer or any digital device. The term was first popularized early in the 21st ...
, teenage runaways,
child marriage Child marriage is a marriage or similar union, formal or informal, between a child under a certain age – typically 18 years – and an adult or another child. * * * * The vast majority of child marriages are between a female child and a ma ...
, and the art of henna design. Popular recurring features included ''Say What?!'', which offered critiques of mainstream media through a feminist and social justice lens, ''Girl in Action'', which presented stories of unsung teen leaders globally, and ''Dear D'', an advice column in which Boston teens (in consultation with relevant professionals) replied to letters submitted by peers on topics ranging from sexual health to relationships to bullying.


Annual event

''Teen Voices'' hosted an annual event, Poetically Speaking, where teen girls performed their poetry. From 2009 until 2012, the event was held at
Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...
and was the only
spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
and poetry event for teen girls in the Greater Boston Area. In 2011, the magazine celebrated “20 years of girls speaking truth to power.” Political powerhouse
Donna Brazile Donna Lease Brazile (; born December 15, 1959) is an American political strategist, campaign manager and political analyst who served twice as acting Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). She is currently an ABC News contributor, ...
gave the keynote speech and helped the organization celebrate its 20th year of print publication. Actress and playwright
Anna Deavere Smith Anna Deavere Smith is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She is known for her roles as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally in ''The West Wing'' (2000–06), hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus in the Showtime series ''Nur ...
performed at the Amplify event held at
Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University, a women's liberal arts college in Boston, Massachusetts * Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black college in Louisville, Kentucky * Har ...
on April 14, 2010. Author and filmmaker
Jean Kilbourne Jean Kilbourne (born January 4, 1943) is an American public speaker, writer, filmmaker and activist who is known for her work on the image of women in advertising and her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. She is also credited ...
gave the keynote speech at the 2009 event. ''Teen Voices'' was published by Teen Voices, Inc.


See also

* Media and teen relationships


References

{{Reflist


External links


teenvoices.com
1988 establishments in Massachusetts 2013 disestablishments in Massachusetts Alternative magazines Biannual magazines published in the United States Defunct women's magazines published in the United States Feminism in the United States Feminist magazines Magazines established in 1988 Magazines disestablished in 2013 Magazines published in Boston Online magazines with defunct print editions Teen magazines