The Importance of Teen Volunteering
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I grew up with two parents who both served in the military. One stayed home and worked in the officers mess, while the other spent long spells away from home on exercise, training in Northern Canada, or overseas on Peacekeeping missions. My sibling and I were instilled with a strict moral code and told not to treat anyone with anything less than the utmost respect unless they had done something to hurt us, and than, we were to remove ourselves from the situation until we were old enough to formulate thoughtful opinions. If someone had less than us, if they needed something, within reason, it was our humanly duty to help them.
Teenagers are an inherently selfish and self-absorbed species of human. Everything small thing that doesn’t go their way is often magnified by unstable emotions and hormone-fed theatrics. And though parents may pull their hair out at their teens inability to look past their own nose, realistically, it’s the only time in life we’re really allowed to be consciously selfish. Once we hit adulthood, we have a myriad of responsibilities that require more of us than obsessing over the reflection in the mirror. A great way to teach your teen or young adult that being selfish does little more than serve short-sighted goals, is through volunteering, where the lessons are so invaluable you couldn’t possibly put a price on the outcome.
Encouraging our youth to v
olunteer and engage their local community, has several benefits for both the youth and those they help. Volunteering with an organization helps a youth feel useful, and their contributions will serve them to feel confident and self-assured. If your youth is working in a situation where those being helped are less fortunate, it gives the youth a health dose of perspective, and helps them to appreciate what, instead of continuing to focus on what they don’t have. It also teaches them how to be patient, cooperative and how to be a part of a team, all invaluable lessons that are too often learned far too late in life. For at risk youth, being involved in an organization that gives back can be a matter of saving their life, rather than sending them out onto the street to fend for themselves. Working in a homeless shelter, a helping individuals who’ve lost everything due to a drug habit, is a surefire way to show an at risk youth that their life needs to head in another direction, and fast!
Air Cadets Changed My Life
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I was a good teen, in fact, when I look at youth today, in the eyes of most parents, I was the exception and not the rule. I was quiet, respectable, did my homework (for the most part), and never touched drugs or alcohol. That isn’t to say that the temptation wasn’t there. Navigating adolescence was a bit of a minefield. The girls were having sex before the seventh grade, the guys were binge drinking in the eighth grade, and by the twelfth grade cocaine, ecstasy, and mushrooms were making their around my history class. I didn’t grow up in Compton, I grew up in a upper middle class, suburban neighborhood, and my school was considered one of the best in the city, yet still, these were some of the toxic disasters that I was exposed to as a young woman. Luckily I had a set of attentive parents, and coupled with my stubborn resolve and unwillingness to fall prey to the will of the mob, I survived relatively unscathed. Not all teens are so lucky. Many are lost to drugs, lost to booze, drop out of school, or start making babies before they’re able to read at an eighth grade reading level.
My parents divorced when I was 10, and they became concerned that as I inched toward adolescence, there was a possibility that I would act out on my despair by getting into trouble. They catapulted themselves into an exhaustive hunt to find a series of activities that would keep me so preoccupied, I wouldn’t have time to even think about getting into trouble. They both settled on one program, the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. My father was a peacekeeper in the Canadian Armed Forces, and my mother had worked for the military when I was little, so naturally, this was an appropriate suggestion for me, but I wasn’t so sure. I was 11 years old when I went to my first parade (the standard entry age is 12, but my squadron was desperate for numbers). I was the youngest, the shortest, and the only girl, amidst a squadron of boys and young men. I was one of the most intimidating moments of my life, but little did I know that this Squadron was going to become my brotherhood of sorts, and I was going to have to most incredible experiences of my young life.
From the time I was
11 until I was 17 years old, my summers were spent romping around in the Canadian wilderness, learning survival skills; learning to fly ultralights and small aircraft; attending leadership conferences and learning how to become a better citizen. Whenever I would return to school in the fall, and in homeroom the teacher would ask us what we did for the summer, I would nonchalantly mention that I spent the summer inside the air traffic control tower at Pearson Airport, jaws would drop. Popping a bunch of pills and getting wasted at a house party just didn’t seem as exciting as chatting with a real-live F-18 pilot. The best part of it all, it didn’t cost my parents a dime! The Air, Army and Sea Cadets are all government sponsored programs, and they provide the funding for camps, training sessions and weekly meetings, even your uniform is free! If you really excel at being a cadet, there are a series of scholarships for college students. Being an Air Cadet provided me with a sense of pride, boosted my self confidence and kept me so preoccupied, that the angst of being teenager had a silver lining.
Brighten Up Your Dorm Room.
0When you move into your dorm room you are probably going to want to personalize it a bit. Even if you are sharing with someone else you still want a little corner that is going to feel like home.
Buy a lot of photo frames and put pictures of your family and friends in them. Dot them all around your room. If you can’t afford photo frames, or just don’t want one, then you can just stick photos to the wall with blu-tack.
Buy some candles. The have a good ambiance and also heat a room up very quickly. You can buy scented candles too. That way your room will smell and look great.
Keep it de-cluttered. There is a difference between personalization and distracting clutter. You need to be able to concentrate when you are studying and relax too.
Buy some nice cushions. Some bright, comfy cushions dotted around the room will add a lot. Practical and pretty.
Buy a map. Maps are great and educational. Have one up on your wall and dream of all of the places you want to go.
Plants are great. Though if you have a tendency to kill plants you may want to skip this one. Your windowsill would be a great place to have a plant. Or put books on your windowsill instead.
You could also buy some great lamps. Pretty functional. Get one in a bright color.
You will, of course, have your own duvet cover and pillow cases. Get it in your favorite color. If you are feeling flush, get some nice curtains too. Remember to keep the old ones so you can replace them when you leave.
Other things you can buy are a radio. Studying while listening to the radio is much more fun.
This blog has lots of great DIY projects for your dorm room. Including some great tips you will really love if you are training for a forensic psychology career.
Have fun!
Storage Solutions For Students.
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When you move into your college room, whether it be a house share or student digs, you are probably going to have a problem with space, where to put things? It is your first time away from home so you may not have the low-down on home improvement, I know I didn’t. So, you are going to need somewhere to put all the stuff you accumulate, right? Here is the answer: cheap storage.
You can buy very cheap storage, keep things in shoe boxes, put up shelves, have hanging racks.
Putting up shelves is relatively easy when you get the hang of it. This article shows you how to put up shelves. You can stack shelves for extra room. The first time I put up shelves I felt amazing afterwards.
Storage drawers can be really handy. They are good to be put in a hanging rack, but even taken out can be put on top of wardrobes or under the bed.
Under the bed is a storage solution you should take advantage of. You can buy great stuff from Ikea that only cost a few pounds, or that great place for bargains; Ebay. Don’t just shove things under the bed. You are not ten anymore. It will look awful and ruin your stuff.
Boxes that stack up on top of each other are a brilliant idea too. Do what property developers are having to do because they are running out of land: build upwards.
Hanging racks are good for clothes when you can’t afford a wardrobe, or if you just don’t have the room. You can get hanging shoe racks too.
You can also keep your shoes in their boxes and take a polaroid of the shoes that are inside for easy access.
Don’t leave anything empty if you are really having a problem with storage. Fill suitcases up and anything else you can think of. Make sure everything has it’s place. It will be easier to get things done if you are not drowning in clutter. You could also put on your biggest smile and ask your parents to keep some stuff in their attic or your old bedroom.
Another option is renting storage. Storage places are huge now so you should be able to get one for a reasonable price due to the competition.
Revamp With Nothing New
0After reading this post’s title, you’re probably thinking, “IMPOSSIBLE!” But it really is possible! Yes. Possible! Speaking from experience, of course.
Last night I was laying in bed, and 3am rolls around and I am still not sleeping. I mean, you can only toss and turn for so many hours before you completely give up and get up. For me, I come up with the best ideas when I am laying down, reading to fall asleep. Maybe that’s why I always have such a problem falling to sleep. It’s like my body is trying to shut down, but my creative side is just waking up. This happens every. single. time.
Sorry, I am tired. Go figure.
After eating carrots and dip in bed with my puppy, I tried to fall asleep again. FAIL. After my head came up with a new book idea, fashion brand and “to do” list, I decided to revamp my room. Yes, at 4am in the morning, I decided to revamp my room. Who does this, I know! I DO!
Of course, at 4am, what stores are open, right? I think even Walmart is closed by this time. I’m pretty sure the whole continent is sleeping… except for me. However, with my creative juices flowing as they do every late hour, I decided that I didn’t need anything new to revamp a space.
All you have to do is move the furniture around. Sounds simply, right? Simply when your room mate isn’t fast asleep in the room beside you maybe. I moved my bed, desk, book shelves and a bunch of other stuff all by myself, and as quiet as a mouse if I must say so myself.
AND I LOVE MY NEW SPACE. It’s like a brand new room. It’s crazy how just moving a few things from here to there and turning this and angling that can really change a look.
As soon as I was finished, I fell right asleep. It’s almost like my subconscious was like, ‘YOU NEED A CHANGE!’
and now I have it!
Try it for yourself. You don’t have to move EVERYTHING, but even just changing the angle of your bed, or the wall that it is on can make a great difference.
Revamp The Light
0Nice looking lamps can be extremely expensive, especially when you’re a student on a budget! The last thing you want is to have a tiny dorm room, filled with ugly, previously-owned things. Can you imagine? Well, I’m sure you can because if you’re reading this post, you are obviously looking for Do It Yourself ideas to revamp your space! Or you could have a friend that has extremely bad taste and their room needs a total makeover and non of you are interior designers. Either way, I’m sure we can admit that some things that we own suck… and need to be prettier.
It’s okay. Go on…. you can admit it.
Lights and lighting is really important when it comes to room decor so we might as well tackle this bad boy first. I honestly had a lamp shade that was seriously from the 70′s. Shag and all… I know… it was bad. Luckily, my little creative light bulb (ha! get it… light bulb… and we’re talking about lights!) went off in my head and I grabbed some things from around my home and decorated the lamp to my liking.
Sometimes it can be better to go and buy a plain lamp shade and decorate that. If you have a shaggy lamp shade like I did, you kind of have no choice. I mean, what are you going to do… shave the lamp? Unlikely. Plus, you can get a plain, boring shade for cheap. Then you can go nuts and decorate it to make it all pretty.
Another option is just getting the frame of a lamp shade. It’s possible, trust me! I had no idea either!
However, if you just want a quick fix for that nasty, old and ugly lamp that is shamelessly hiding in the corner of your room, grab ribbons, fabrics and even paint… and go nuts! Just make sure it’s not some antique that you Mom let you “borrow” for college and has full intentions on it being returned in mint condition. Oh boy. Could you imagine?
Let me know what your lamp looks like…. before and after!
DIY BEER PONG
0Don’t lie… you’ve played beer pong. If you haven’t… what are you living under… “a rock”. Okay, I seriously can’t believe I said that because I really hate that saying, but I’m sure you get what I mean. Almost everyone, especially if you’re a student, has played beer pong. I mean, you don’t even have to be going to college to get into this game… high schoolers (…legal…ones…) play this game all the time! It really doesn’t matter if you’re living in your parents basement while you’re completeing your master degree online, going to the party-central college or… well, being a “responsible” high school student… you can and probably do love this game.
BEER PONG!
I mean, even Mitch in Old School plays this game. It’s just the all-time party go-to and it really isn’t beer pong if you go out and buy a nice, new, fancy beer pong set. The game is all about using what you have and getting a foolish game started! It’s all about the dirt on the pong ball that is getting dunked into your cup moments before you chug it back. It is a college game after all, and we all know students are always the cleanest… just being honest!
All you need is a flat table, long enough for a typical pong game, and plastic cups – preferably red ones to keep the game traditional. I do not suggest using your mom’s expensive glass dining room table. You definitely want to have a table that is ready to get spilt all over and mucked right up.
The perfect table is skinny and long. You can get these at your local hardware store, or even in the classified section of your news paper. They are super inexpensive… for a reason, and no… they aren’t called a “beer pong” table. Remember, we are trying to avoid buying a fancy set. It’s simply a long, crappy, skinny table that you don’t care how messed up it gets.
Then cups. Red, plastic cups! You can get those anywhere!
There you have it! Your own beer pong table.
CHRISTMAS CARDS
0Christmas is right around the corner, and if you’re anything like me, you are too stubborn to go pay for already-made Christmas cards that people are going to go and throw out. Let’s be serious here. Do you keep your Christmas cards when they are completely impersonal and have absolutely nothing in them other than the standard, “HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS. LOVE, MOM“. If you do… you’re a hoarder. I’m just kidding… but seriously. 
However, I like to give cards! Not only do I refuse to send impersonal crap, I refuse to spend money on impersonal crap. I do love spending money and making some crafts though. Oh yeah… that’s the transition I’m using into my craft idea. Just go with it!
So, I am obsessed with this site that is completely free, or you can pay $25 a year to get a whole lot more amazing-ness, which I highly recommend doing. It is the fabulous website, PICNIK! I know that I have talked about this before, but it is so amazing… and I haven’t talked about this part of it.
They have a collage option where not only can you create funky holiday-inspired collages, but you can also create cards and such. Add some sprinkle of snow, a dazzle of sparkle, print, cut, and wham! You have yourself a personal Christmas card that the recipient won’t throw out because it is so fabulous.
Now of course, you can make your Christmas cards from scratch with materials from the craft store, but if you’re anything like me, you can let the computer do the hard stuff. I seriously only got the hint that I was completely unable to draw anything when my tattoo artist dream was crushed when they told me that I sucked at drawing stick people. Seriously, what was I thinking? First of all, who can’t draw stick people… aside from me and who goes into a tattoo job application drawing stick people? Okay, it was a weird phase in my life, I will admit.
So long story short, I suck at drawing, so I use this program to make the pretty stuff for me! These pictures honestly took me two seconds. Imagine if you had patience (in which I lack), how amazing this stuff could really be!?
Do it yourself VS Sneaky room mate
1Do you think you have a sneaky roommate that is getting up in your stuff? Stealing your clothes, makeup or even just rummaging through your personal belongings? Well that sucks! However, there is a solution that you can do all by yourself to catch them in the act.
Once you have proof, then you can take the proper actions towards addressing them or getting them removed from your dorm. Also, you don’t even need a software engineering degree to get all CSI on your sneaky roommate.
This is definitely my favourite, and it just happens that I lucked out with my roommate who totally respects my privacy and space, but this is still an extremely fun App to have. If you don’t have a Playbook, you should definitely go get one because they are on sale $300 off! You really can’t go wrong! Once you have one, download the free app called Private Eye. What it does is records while you’re gone, so you just set up your Playbook and it records to a website. I like to use it as a “live” show of my life. It just records and records, so you can use it for anything really. You can give people the link to view your show live, or keep it just for yourself.
Of course, I understand that not everyone wants a Playbook and you’re surely not going to go and buy one just for the Private Eye app. And that’s why there is another alternative in which you probably don’t even have to make a purchase for, because you most likely already have everything you need.
If you’re a student, chances are that you have a laptop, and almost every laptop now a days comes with a built in Webcam. It’s called Highlight Cam and it is a free download that goes right onto your computer. Plus, it’s completely silent and if you are using this to catch someone getting sneaky in your business, they’ll never know that you are secretly recording! It’s like your own silent security guard! It also offers motion alert notifications which are sent to your email, and off-site back up in case your computer gets taken. Oh lord, not only do you have a sneaky roommate but a thieving intruder?
And there you have it. Whether you are trying to catch a sneaky roommate, record your life live or using it as your own security guard, these two are the best of the best security cameras that cost next to nothing!
Good luck!
Avoid The Police Mob… Cyber Monday Crafts!
0This is going to be a little different from my usual posts. That’s correct, I am not going to be Bossy-bart and tell you how to make something, this week. HA! But I am going to tell you that this is the best week to get all your DIY crafts materials and absolutely anything else you will ever need to live a crafty life!
That’s correct! I am talking about BLACK FRIDAY.
…I think I just heard a million people scream with frustration from all the lines and crowds that will be killing our breathing space. Relax ladies and gents, I have it under control.
How about we do our artsy, crafty Black Friday shopping online? I know… I’m a smart cookie! It took me a whole week to figure this idea out. And I run an idea blog… figure that one out! But seriously, there’s this thing online called Cyber Monday. However, I hate calling it cyber Monday because most of these companies already have their deals on. So yes, we get the Black Friday deals but get to avoid the massive lines and riots and rampages that are inevitable. I mean, what does a police officer do on Black Friday? They can’t start pepper spraying people when things get crazy… although I’m sure we can all agree that they should!
But heck, what do we care, because we won’t be there! We will be in our PJ’s after a nice long sleep, online shopping for all our DO IT YOURSELF craft ideas. And aside from just crafty materials, you can get everything else! Genius, I know. Again, I’m a smart cookie.
I’m sure some of my readers out there are a little spacey like me and haven’t thought of getting our shopping done online for some Black Friday deals… and for those readers, this post is for you!
Let me know what kind of stuff you get!!