Aug
29

Keep Yourself Safe on the Internet

written by Mat Edvik

According to the oft-cited Youth Internet Safety Survey from 2001, whose respondents consisted of 1,500 teenagers, approximately one in five American teenagers have been sexually solicited online.1
We were very pleased to be able to have Lezlee Bylund join us on this episode of the Teen Esteem Council Podcast. Lezlee is the Utah Net Smartz Outreach [...]

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Aug
26

Someone Wrote You a Back To School Letter

written by Mat Edvik

Dear (put your name here),
Every time that a new school year starts I have a few hopes and fears for you as you continue to get older and grow more independent.
I hope:

that you will be a leader among your friends.

that you will stand for the high values that you have been taught.

that you will live [...]

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Aug
24

Junior High is Coming – are you ready?

written by Mat Edvik

In our podcast 2 weeks ago, we talked with a good friend of mine, Jessica who is going to be a senior this year and we asked her about her experiences as a sophomore, junior and now soon-to-be senior and getting ready for it and how it is different each year.
Because we didn’t hit too [...]

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Aug
22

Back To School Stress Part 2

written by Mat Edvik

Academics is not the only stressful part of school. The social aspect of going back to school can be incredibly stressful. In this podcast Mat and Summer are joined again by Jessica and they cover these parts of excelling in the social part of being a student:
1. Friends.
2. Boys.
3. Climbing the social ladder.
4. Why reinventing [...]

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Aug
19

How have you spent your summer?

written by summeramorris

Well, I can’t believe it is already August 19th!  We are mid-August almost!  The summer months have really flown by for me and from what I’m hearing lately for most people.  This week, I’ve spent the majority of time talking about “getting ready for school.” 
I remember on the first few days of school, always being [...]

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Aug
18

She Has An Amazing Body

written by Mat Edvik

“She has an amazing body.” Do you and your friends ever say something like that as you look at the magazines in a grocery store, or while you are discussing one of the girls in your school. Maybe that is just something that I remember from my high school days, what with my being [...]

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Aug
15

Back To School Stress

written by Mat Edvik

Going back to school can be a stressful time. In this podcast episode Mat and Summer talk to Jessica Barlow. Jessica is going to be a senior this year and we asked her to give her thoughts on what stressors she faced, going back to school, as a Sophomore, Junior, and now as a Senior. [...]

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Aug
8

How I Beat An Eating Disorder Part 2 With Alicia Cottle

written by Mat Edvik

Thanks again to Alicia for being willing to join us and share this very personal story. In this podcast we continue discussing how Alicia overcame her struggles with having an eating disorder. Alicia shares with us:
- how hard it was to change her identity as a person with an eating disorder
- how she had hopes [...]

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Aug
5

Swimsuit Drama

written by summeramorris

Okay, so I was at the pool over the weekend and for the first time in years, I felt very self-conscious.  I know we are closing in on the end of summer and swimsuit wearing (in Utah anyway) but I had to talk about this because it really had an impact on me.  Mat and [...]

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Aug
4

Wake Up, Don’t Wish Your Life Away…The Only Time You Can Live Is Now

written by Mat Edvik

Are you wishing your life away? Are you waiting for some future time in your life to be happy? Do you realize that the only time that you can be happy is now?
I had a conversation with a friend a while ago who expressed that he felt sad that his kids were getting older. He [...]

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