Would you believe that more than 2 million young people between the ages of 12 and 24 will experience homelessness at least once in their life. Even more surprising, more than 100,000 youth sleep on the street for 6 months or more in the U.S. These teens are at a much greater risk of physical assault, rape, sexual exploitation, recruitment into gangs, and mental illness.

To raise awareness of the plight of these teens, one man is taking matters into his own hands. Or feet, as the case may be.

Tellman Knudson is 10 days into a 3,200 mile run barefoot run across America to raise money for homeless youth. Tellman left NYC’s Battery Park in on September 9th, and hopes to average 26 miles (that’s the equivalent of one marathon) every day until he reaches Los Angeles. Along the way, he’ll solicit donations from individuals and corporate sponsors through Run Tellman Run. He’s set a goal of raising $100 million dollars to help create programs to reduce the risk these youth face, help get them off the streets, and rebuild their lives.

To follow Tellman and possibly see him as he goes through your town, follow his blog or Twitter updates. Good luck, Tellman!

In my books and on Smart Girls Know, I talk a lot about striving to “be in the moment.” It’s just one of my things - the way I try to live my life, focusing on the here and now instead of dwelling on the past or worrying too much about the future. As I’ve written before on Smart Girls Know, I know that by living in the present moment, you will:

• get the most out of every experience
• be more content and happier overall
• be much less stressed out
• see the possibilities in everything

This weekend, I had the opportunity put my money where my mouth is by truly being the moment, second by second, step by step, as I attempted to beat my personal best time in a 5K race.

Saturday morning, I ran the Iron Girl 5K in Seattle, joining more than 2,000 other girls and women for a fantastic event featuring a fast course around Greenlake and lots of powerful all-girl energy. For the past few years, I’ve thought about trying to beat my fastest 5K time, which I set in Central Park in 1997. I came close a few years ago, but haven’t been able to break my personal barrier of 23 minutes, 51 seconds.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to go for it on Saturday or not, since I’m still nursing a foot injury and hadn’t done any speed training this summer. But it was such perfect running weather and there was so much positive energy in the air, that sometime between lining up for the start and the beginning of the race, I decided I would go for it.

I knew exactly what average pace I had to run each mile in order to beat my time - a 7:40 mile. So I pushed it out of the gate and hit my target, running the first mile in 7:35. Ok, Debbie. Just keep it up for two more miles, and you’ll do it, I thought to myself. The problem was, I didn’t know if I actually could keep it up. My breathing was all over the place, I hadn’t found my stride yet, and the finish line at the other end of the lake seemed seriously far away. But I wasn’t ready to give up, so I focused on my pace, my rhythm, and not slowing down.

When I came upon the 2-mile marker, I looked down at my watch. 7:59. Yikes. I had expected mile 2 to be a little slower, but not that slow. I quickly did the math in my head. My next 1.1 mile had to kick some serious booty or I could kiss my new personal record goodbye.

So I sped up. And I stayed focused. The problem was, by this time, I was feeling extremely fatigued, I had a shoulder cramp, and this little voice in my head started messing with me, telling me there was no way I would beat the time, so why bother trying? Why not slow down the pace a bit and just enjoy the run. It’s not going to happen this year, no biggie.

But rather than listen to those thoughts, I replaced them with these: You can still do it. It’s still within your power to beat your time. It’s all about this moment, this step, this mile. Believe in every step that you can do it…the future hasn’t been determined yet!

I repeated these thoughts as I labored through the last mile, rounded the last turn, and spotted the finish line. I saw my husband and son (who curiously enough was holding up a sign he had made for me that said Go Under Sea Mom!) and that gave me an extra bolt of energy. I pushed my legs as fast as they would go, kicking in the last point one of a mile and crossing the finish line in… 23:55.

4 seconds shy of my record.

I caught my breath, and looked down at my watch where I’d clocked my splits. My last 1.1 mile, the one where I’d stayed present and repeated the mantra that I could do it, had almost been as fast as my first mile. It hadn’t been enough, but for some reason I didn’t feel defeated. Slightly bummed, yes. But more than that, I was happy that for the duration of the race, I had truly been in the moment - shoulder cramp, funky breathing, doubtful thoughts and all. No, I hadn’t beaten my personal record, but I came damn close, and I know that with speed training and more time to recover from my injury, I can do it. After all, the power is completely within me.

And when I do it, I promise to let you know!

XOXO Debbie

Today is day five of 7 Days Across America, a seven-day journey aimed at changing the negative stereotypes many adults have about teenagers by showcasing the good deeds of today’s youth. The project hopes to show the world that encouragement can not only make a difference in people’s lives, it can change the world.

How are they doing this? The 7 Days team has been touring across the country since Saturday, September 5th, looking for and bringing attention to the stories of teenagers who are striving to make a difference in their schools, communities and the world. Very cool!

So far, the 7 Days team has hit San Francisco, Reno, Phoenix, Denver, Oklahoma City, Houston, Dallas, and Little Rock. From today through Saturday, they’ll be heading to Detroit, Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, before celebrating the finale and the National Day of Encouragement in New York City on September 12th.

To get the inside scoop on the journey, follow the 7 Days Blog, read the 7 Days Twitter Feed, or become a fan on their Facebook page.

I just learned about this website from someone I’m following at Twitter, and had to share it with you! It’s the website of About-Face, an organization that aims to equip women and girls with tools to understand and resist harmful media messages that affect their self-esteem and body image. Through their site, workshops, and action groups, About-Face hopes to “imbue girls and women with the power to free themselves from the burden of body-image problems so they will be capable of fulfilling their varied and wondrous potential.”

What I love about this site is it calls out the media messages - specifically advertisements - that are super offensive when it comes to portraying women and girls in a negative and harmful light. Their Gallery of Offenders features highlights of the top ten worst ads out there. Included in their current list of top ten offenders are ads from AskMen.com, Elizabeth Arden, Carls Jr., and American Apparel. But About-Face doesn’t just point out the offensive ads and explain why they are so harmful - it provides contact information for the companies behind the ads, and encourages readers to let these advertisers know just how offended we are by their portrayal of women.

It’s not all bad news. About-Face also celebrates media that is doing it right, and brings attention to their faves through the Gallery of Winners.

Have you heard about Laura Dekker? Laura is a 13-year-old girl from the Netherlands who is hoping to be the youngest person ever to sail solo around the world - a journey that would take her two years.

Her parents are in favor of the risky voyage. The Dutch Council for Child Protection, on the other hand, is so concerned about the risks involved that they’re trying to put a stop to the whole thing.

About the debate, a psychologist quoted in an article from the AP says “the rat race to become a so-called ’super child’ - the youngest to accomplish some grueling feat - can be fueled by ambitious parents, laser-focused children with talent, or youngsters with a deep need to please or be praised.”

But which is it in this case and does it really matter?

I’m all for encouraging girls to pursue their dreams and to not let anyone set limits on what they accomplish - it’s one of my core values. And I also firmly believe in the benefits for girls taking safe, physical risks when it comes up beefing up self-esteem and empowering them.

Kudos to Laura for being such an incredible sailer at such a young age that this venture is even a possibility. But it seems to me that the enormity of the feat and the fact that Laura would be risking her life make this a risk not worth taking. The potential dangers in such a voyage are many (storms, pirates, malfunctions, you name it), not to mention the physical, mental, and emotional challenges Laura would surely face along the way. At a certain point, the risks and the fact that Laura would be putting her life in danger, have to outweigh the benefits of trying to accomplish this first.

What are your thoughts? How young is too young to risk one’s life for the sake of accomplishing a super feat? Is the Dutch government right in trying to prevent this voyage from taking place?

I’m so excited to share the news that self-esteem guru, honorary Smart Girl, and friend, Jess Weiner, has just premiered a new self-esteem and advice website for girls and women!

You might already know Jess from her monthly body image column in Seventeen Magazine, or maybe you’ve seen her talking about celebrities and body image on TV. Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to see Jess in person at one of her inspirational speaking events centered around self-confidence and self-acceptance, or are familiar with her work as the Global Ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. You’re probably starting to see a pattern here - Jess totally rocks it when it comes to speaking out on behalf of girls and self-esteem!

So, check out Jess’s new website for a ton of great info, from friendship and relationship tips and advice to all kinds of resources, blogs, videos, and access to Jess’s Actionist Newsletter! And to find out more about Jess and how she created a career for herself as an “Actionist” and forged her own bold path in self-esteem advocacy, check out my interview with Jess in my book In Their Shoes: Extraordinary Women Describe Their Amazing Careers!

When I worked on the series of Real Deal books for Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, I was lucky enough to connect with then-teen author Dallas Woodburn. Dallas wrote two fantastic essays for the books I edited, and in the past five years, we’ve stayed in touch as Dallas went on to USC, graduated, and is now in a gap year between undergrad and an MFA program.

Besides the fact that Dallas is a great writer, one of things that’s always blown me away about her is that she’s always working on a zillion really cool projects to benefit children and teens centered around writing and creativity. She self-published her first book, a collection of stories and poems called There’s a Huge Pimple On My Nose at the age of 10, and her second collection of stories, 3 a.m., came out in 2005. She’s also run an annual Holiday Book Drive for the past seven years, speaks about writing to students, and runs her own summer writing camp for youth.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Dallas founded her organization, Write On! For Literacy, with the goal of encouraging kids to discovery joy, confidence, self-expression and connection with others through reading and writing endeavors. As part of Write On!, Dallas has formed Write On! Books, where she plans to publish collections of stories, poetry, and essays written by young people that are exciting, fun, and easy for young audiences to relate to.

Dallas is currently accepting submissions for Write On! Books at her website, so if you’re a writer in elementary, middle, or high school, and want to be considered, submit your best stuff here.

Congratulations on all you do for young people and creative expression, Dallas. You are truly an inspiration to Smart Girls everywhere!

If you love science and want to get hands-on experience in a unique program just for girls, then check out the new Coastal Studies for Girls (CSG). Coastal Studies for Girls is a semester-long program for sophomore girls with an interest in science and leadership. Based in Freeport, Maine, the school is dedicated to girls who have a love for learning and discovery, an adventurous spirit, and a desire to challenge themselves.

Over the course of the 16-week program, students will compliment their studies in history, language, and math with a course called Coastal Marine Ecosystems, which introduces girls to the principles of chemical and physical marine science, marine biology, estuarine ecology, and marine resource issues; and a Leadership Adventure course, where girls have the opportunity to explore, cultivate and reflect upon the habits of effective leadership as well as contemplate their own contributions to the group through time spent ocean kayaking along the coast of Maine, camping, a high ropes course, snow cave building, team challenges, rock climbing and more.

If you’re a sophomore in high school and are interested in applying for the Spring 2010 semester, applications are available now online. Admissions will be made on a rolling basis, although the final deadline for applying is November 15, 2009. Also, scholarships are available. Just get your scholarship application in by November 1st. You can download application forms here.

The Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis is trying to raise public awareness about the number of homeless youth in the Twin Cities through new interactive art installations called Home is Where You Make It. Created by artists-in-residence Lauri Lyons and Tish Jones, the project gives homeless youth a chance to develop and display their artwork to a broad audience.

Participating homeless teens have been attending artist-led workshops and been supported in the act of writing personal narratives and shooting black and white portraits. Those portraits have been enlarged and mounted onto cardboard, where they’ve been assembled into 5’ x 7’ ‘houses’ on the street.

What a creative way to bring attention to the problem of youth homelessness! I volunteered with homeless teens in New York City when I lived there, and I always believed that if people really knew there were so many homeless teens, they would be motivated to support programs that work to remedy the problem. I love that the Home Is Where You Make It installation makes it hard to ignore what’s really going on with homeless teens in the Minneapolis area.

The installations will be set up through August 21. For a complete schedule, visit the website.

If you’re a fan of Do Something, the organization aimed at inspiring and empowering teens to do something and take action towards positive change, check out this opportunity.

Do Something is looking for teens to join their Youth Advisory Council ( YAC), which is comprised of teens from across the continent serving at least a two year commitment. Members of the YAC help provide feedback on the decisions being made by Do Something, and might do things like:

• assist in the determination of ideal logos, images, and campaign concepts
• help with the selection of Do Something grant winners
• reviewing the word choice(s), celebrity targets, and website content
• represent the Do Something Advisory Council at meetings, conferences, and in the community at large

YAC members connect via annual in-person meetings and monthly conference calls in addition to ongoing e-mail correspondence. YACers make themselves available to advise on relevant issues.

Find out more and download the application here. The deadline for applications is August 31. Good luck!

XOXO Debbie