Internet Resources

Comprehensive

• About Health ~ Personal stories from teens about their experiences with AIDS/HIV, alcohol, body image, bullying, depression, drugs, emotions, friends, loss, parents, respect, sex, tobacco, violence and more.
• Maine Township Youth Services ~ Local services for teens.
• Park Ridge Public Library Young Adults Resources ~ A great list of teen issue resources compiled by the Young Adult Services of the Park Ridge Public Library.
• Teen Link: Your Guide to Resources on Teen Issues ~ Click on a tab at the top or use the search tool. A reviewed collection of resources from the University of Illinois Extension.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ~ Facts and information on Medicaid, homelessness, services for children, and many other human welfare services.
• Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Program ~ Information on services to youth in Chicago

Drug Abuse

• National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) for Teens ~ The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) provides this excellent site for Teens to obtain essential information about drug use. Click onto: "Facts on Drugs" to learn about the brain and addiction, anabolic steroids, marijuana, and other drugs. Read real stories from kids who speak out about their experiences with drugs and alcohol and the impact it had on their life. Or, if you have Flash Plug In, you can just "Have Fun & Learn" about the affects of drugs and alcohol on your body while you play a game. This site is just right for teens.
• Performance-enhancing drugs and your teen athlete ~ from the Mayo Clinic

Homelessness

• Chicago Coalition for the Homeless ~ "The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) organizes and advocates to prevent and end homelessness based on our belief that housing is a human right in a just society."
• Criminal of Poverty: Growing Up Homeless in America ~ A radio broadcast transcript of an interview with author Lisa "Tiny" Gray-Garcia about her book chronicaling her life on the street as a child and teen.
• A Teen's Life Among the 'Hidden Homeless' ~ A radio broadcast transcript of an interview with a homeless teen. Includes a link to the audio broadcast of the interview.

Poverty

• U.S. Census Bureau -- Poverty ~ Facts on poverty in the United States.

Pregnancy

• The Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health ~ Leaders and organizations committed "to promoting a positive approach to adolescent sexual health and comprehensive support for young parents."
• The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy ~ A web site which disseminates information about the situation, such as the consequences of teen pregnancy for the teen mother, the child and for society. Find out about the health risks, the suffering and the cost. This page also provides links to an extensive list of related sites. Explore the link titled "Teen In Site" to read the emotional comments from teenage mothers.
• Stay Teen ~ For and about teenagers, this web site from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy gives teenagers the information they need about teen pregnancy. Learn the benefits of reducing the teen pregnancy rate, and see the consequences of teen pregnancy for the teen mother, for the children of teen parents, and for society. Find national and state facts and statistics. There is guidance for avoiding teen pregnancy, and an information section with facts and stats, a quiz, and advice from other teens.
• Study of Adolescent Sexuality and Pregnancy ~ The Guttmacher Institute is a nonprofit organization focused on sexual and reproductive health research, policy analysis, and public education. This page of its website is devoted to statistics, articles, and information about adolescent sexual behavior. There are links to fact sheets about teenagers' sexual and reproductive health

Runaways

• Legal Rights Options Runaway Teens (PDF document)
• National Runaway Switchboard ~ "Our mission at the National Runaway Switchboard is to help keep America’s runaway and at-risk youth safe and off the streets."
• Youth Development Division ~ Information on runaway and homeless youth from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Self-Injury

• Self-Injury: A Guide for Teens

Smoking

• Making Cancer History ~ This animated site hosted by the University of Texas offers many interesting topics for teens: "Yeah, I Smoke, So What", "I'm Trying to Quit and I'm So Stressed", "I'm Trying to Quit and Feeling Tempted", "I'm Trying to Quit, What are the Steps", and "I've Never Smoked". Click onto any of these topics for an interesting video clip. Be sure to click onto the INDEX for even more helpful topics, such as how smoking affects the environment, the cost of smoking, testimonials from quitters, and especially "Refusal Skills: What happens when you say No".
• Smoking: Cutting Through the Hype ~ This site discusses topics such as the reasons teens smoke, the myths, the difficulty of quitting, the truth about smokeless tobacco, the undesirable side effects, the risk of disease and how you can quit. Related information can be found in other articles and resources.
• TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Use) ~ Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU) is a program that allows students ages 14-17 to mentor youngsters about the dangers of smoking.