OBOS Update

By OBOS — May 10, 2007

by Elana Hayasaka

Christine is in the midst of a two-day, much-needed, and well deserved vacation, so we thought we’d take the opportunity to give a quick update on some of the things happening here at the OBOS office:

For Teens, By Teens: This summer we’re teaming up with the fabulous organization Teen Voices to create a mental health resource for teenage girls.

As many of our supporters have recently pointed out, it’s been a few years since “Changing Bodies, Changing Lives was published for adolescents, and the information in that book is getting a little outdated. Additionally, using books to get health information is also getting a little outdated, especially for younger women.

“Adolescent girls need the empowering information that Our Bodies Ourselves can provide, but these days, fewer are getting this from books,” said Heather Stephenson, OBOS program manager and organizer of this project. “Teens may prefer to get health information online, or from magazines or handouts that can be tucked into a bag or under a pillow.”

So the project will create online modules that focus on adolescent mental health. The modules, written by and for teens, will weave the stories of teenage girls together with health information, much like the traditional format of other OBOS publications. Topics will include depression, suicide, anxiety, and self-esteem builders. In addition to being on our website, the modules will also be published in the print and online versions of the magazine Teen Voices. Stay tuned to this blog for more news about the completion of these modules in the coming months.

Da! Speaking of online resources, we’re also currently working with a women’s group in St. Petersburg, Russia, to publish a free online version of Our Bodies, Ourselves in Russian. The project will allow Russian speakers all over the world access to information that can help many empower themselves to take care of their health and their families. The resource is scheduled to be up sometime this July.

Lights, Camera, Action… Another project we’re working on this summer is the development of a short documentary film about our organization, including our history, our current projects, and what we hope to achieve in the future. We’re looking for folks who may have a great story of how they’ve used the book Our Bodies, Ourselves, or how they were first introduced to the book. Please email elana@bwhbc.org if you’d like to share your story.

A “Feldt” Addition: And finally, we would like to welcome Gloria Feldt to our national advisory board! Gloria’s the former president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. We’re very excited to have this very inspiring woman onboard!

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