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Do You Disagree? How to Share Your Opinion Respectfully

October 26, 2011 By

Do you ever disagree with your friends or family? Or, do you ever find yourself in a disagreement on New Moon Girls? It’s okay to disagree! We are not always going to agree with everyone, and there are many great ways to handle disagreements while still respecting others.

It is important to remember that everyones’ opinions are equally valuable. You can give your opinion while still respecting the other person’s point of view. Below are some simple steps from the Child and Youth Health website about handling disagreements while still being respectful.

1. Understand
2. Don’t make things worse
3. Work together
4. Find a solution

Sometimes even New Moon Girls disagree, and it can get heated! However, you can always find great advice on handling disagreements and conflict!

Virginia, 12, Idaho shares how she handles debates respectfully in her story Respectful Debate.
Autumn, 13, Pennsylvania shared even more tips on respectful debating.

Want to know the simple Do’s and Don’ts of debating? Check out Jen, 13, New Jersey’s  awesome techniques!

Do you have a strong opinion about something you’d like to share? Join the discussion on the Shout Out message board The Great Debate!

New Moon Girls wants you to know that it is okay to disagree with others, but it is still important to respect their opinions and feelings. Each month, New Moon Girls wants to spotlight a girl who spoke her opinion without being disrespectful to others by naming her the Debating Diva of the Month!

Sometimes disagreements can get heated, but New Moon Girls does not accept anything that is offensive or bullying. Check out the Respect Differences Policy to learn what New Moon does to prevent bullying.

Have you ever felt unsafe on New Moon because of bullying?  It’s really important to New Moon that everyone feels safe here, so tell us what’s going here on so we can stop it.

Remember, it is okay to disagree with others, but it is important to give your opinion in a way that is respectful of the feelings of others. If you have any tips and techniques on how you handle disagreements, we want to know! Upload your videos and stories about how you can respectuflly disagree with others on the Do You Disagree topic page!

Do you disagree? How do you handle disagreements with your friends and families? How does New Moon Girls help you respectfully share your opinions with others? Let us know in your comments below!

Emily
New Moon Intern

Filed Under: Sister to Sister

Sister to Sister: Halloween

October 25, 2011 By
Hallie's Halloween Costume

"This is a photo of me wearing my costume for the Halloween of 2011. My costume is an Autumn oak tree. I had a lot of fun creating this costume! " - Hallie, 9, New York

Halloween can be an incredibly fun holiday. You have the opportunity to dress up as anyone you want, and you get candy. It really couldn’t be much cooler.

Halloween is an awesome opportunity to express yourself and be creative. When I was younger, I loved being characters from books for Halloween. Sometimes no one else knew who I was, but that was okay. As long as I knew, it was fine. A personal favorite of mine was when I was Laura Ingalls in third grade. My aunt made the costume for me. At the time, those were my favorite books. It was super fun to get to dress as- and “be”- such a cool, adventuring pioneer girl all day long.

However, sometimes the media tries to stunt girls’ Halloween creativity a bit. It’s been typical for older teenage and college-aged girls to dress more revealingly on Halloween, which is sometimes disapproved of. At my age, many girls discuss their costumes to see if they want the regular or the “sexy” version- as in, are you going to be a fairy, or a fairy wearing a very short skirt and low-cut top? Some girls don’t feel comfortable dressing that way, but do so because their friends are, and I don’t think that’s good at all.

Hannah's Ninja Mask

"This is my ninja mask for my ninja costume i made for Halloween! the nunchucks and mask are homemade! the mask is a t-shirt and the nunchucks are paper, tissues, tape and paperclips!" - Hannah, 13, Ohio

Now, if you go into any superstore to find costumes, you’ll find that even younger girls’ costumes are sexualized. I’m sure it will be the cause of disagreements with parents across the country as Halloween approaches. Sometimes, the Halloween costumes in stores are pretty enticing. Sometimes, you’ll want to be one of those girls. But why would you dress on Halloween to show off your body? Halloween is such a special opportunity to be creative- I don’t see why you’d want to use it for that. I think it’s incredibly sad that girls are pressured to look sexualized on Halloween at an even younger age than mine, and that that age is getting younger every year.

Try being creative this year on Halloween, and don’t feel pressured, or like you have to dress in a “sexy” way.

There are so many great ideas out there- why use someone else’s?

Love,
Alexa

PS- Zosha already started a thread with Halloween costume ideas on the Sister to Sister Message Board! Pop in with your ideas!

PPS- Have you seen any costumes that are demeaning to women? Or costumes that are cool and creative? Don’t forget to submit them to the Girl Caught page!

Filed Under: Sister to Sister

Let’s Get Crafty: What do You Like to Make?

October 19, 2011 By

Do you like making crafts? Have you made any projects by knitting, painting, sewing or other artistic expressions?

Making crafts is a great way to express your artistic-self. They make awesome birthday or holiday gifts for friends and family – people always love to get something that is homemade! And, they can also be a great way to raise money for yourself or for a cause!

New Moon Girls love to make crafts. From fashion design to making dolls, there are craft ideas for everyone!

Maddie, 11, North Carolina was inspired to create fashion and began the INSPIRATION! message board. Learn how to make a dress out of plastic shopping bags, or add your own inspiration to the discussion!

The Fashion Design Club of New Moon was started by Kat/Anna, 10, Itally. Join her club and share your fashion design  ideas!

Sadie, 12, Virginia made this Mario Mushroom out of felt. She recommends this craft!

Livia, 12, Washington made her family’s presents by hand for Christmas last year! Check out her ideas, find out how to make a cute key chain or add your own ideas to the Artistic Awesomeness message board!

Katherine, 11, New York asked New Moon Girls what their favorite crafts to do are in her awesome poll. New Moon Girls love to sew, bead and paint! Take Katherine’s poll and tell New Moon Girls what your favorite craft is!

There are a lot of great craft ideas that you can do with your friends and family. Want to  make a cute skirt out of a pillowcase? Learn how here! Or, learn how to make a folded paper box to keep your jewelery or use it to put presents inside! You can even make hair accessories out of chopsticks! You can find all of these ideas, plus Halloween craft ideas here!

SaKado-Chan, 14, Ontario made these bunny dolls completely by hand! She might even sell them in a craft fair!

From October 15 to November 15, New Moon is asking members to hold fundraisers so that schools, libraries and other girl groups can get scholarships to join New Moon Girls. (If you have a fundraiser or donate to the New Moon Girls Scholarship Fund during this time, you’ll be entered in a drawing for a new Whiplash Pink scooter from Street Surfing! Click here for more info!) One great idea to raise money is to sell your arts and crafts!

Do you like making crafts? What kind of awesome things have you made, or do you have any ideas for other girls looking to do a craft? Share with us in your comments below!

Emily
New Moon Intern

Filed Under: Arts & Culture

Help bring the scary back to Halloween!

October 12, 2011 By

Katie, 9, Massachussets thought her crayon-box costume was super creative!

Have you noticed the lack of inspirational Halloween costumes? Have you had trouble finding one that you felt was respectful toward girls and women, that didn’t involve short skirts or high heels? Well, Hardy Girls Healthy women has, and they want to do something about it by hosting a Freaky 5K Fun Run and Walk on October 22!

HGHW, who has partnered up with New Moon Girls to empower girls and women in our Girl-Caught campaign, believe in the health and well being of  girls, and that all girls should experience equality, independence and safety in all areas of life.

Last year for Halloween Phoebe, 13, New York was Hermione Granger!

HGHW wants to “bring the scary back” to Halloween with their 3rd annual Freaky 5K, devoted to bringing the scary and creative back to the holiday. The Freaky 5K is a response to lack of creative and empowering costume choices for girls and is a way to raise money for HGHW’s efforts.

The Freaky 5K will take place at Colby College in Waterville, Maine on October 22. If you are in the area and want to participate, register here, or learn how to make a pledge or fundraise or the event!

If you don’t live in the area, that’s okay, you can still help HGHW with their mission by donating to their organization with the help of a parent!

Have you seen awesome costumes that empower girls, or have you made your own? Girl-Catch the awesome costumes you see when you start shopping this year. You can also tell companies who make costumes that aren’t respectful to girls and women that they’ve been Girl-Caught! To submit your Halloween costume Girl-Catches, click here!

McKenna, 10, Arizona went as Persephone, the goddess of the underworld, for Halloween last year!

What will you be for Halloween this year? What kind of creative costume ideas do you have to share with other girls looking for appropriate and respectful costumes? Share with us in your comments below!

Emily
New Moon Intern

Filed Under: New Moon Girls News

Easy Fundraiser Ideas to Help New Moon Girls!

October 12, 2011 By

have a fundraiser for new moon girls!

From October 15 to November 15, we’re asking New Moon Girls  to have fundraisers to help raise money so schools, libraries, and girl groups can get scholarships to New Moon Girls!  If you have a fundraiser or make a donation during this time, not only will all the money you raise be going to help others get the gift of New Moon Girls, you will also be entered into a drawing for a new Whiplash Pink Scooter!
girl on scooterWe have 2 scooters to give away, and they were generously donated to us by Street Surfing, a company from Irvine, California.
     
Get more information about Whiplash Pink Scooters on the Street Surfing website.
When you hear the word “fundraiser,” you might think of something that is complicated, hard to do, or something that you would really like to do but just don’t have time for. But we want fundraisers for New Moon Girls to be fun and easy to do!
Here are some ideas for fundraisers to get you started:
  • It’s starting to get cold out, so instead of the traditional lemonade stand, have a hot chocolate/tea stand!
  • Have a themed bake sale! Lots of holidays are coming up soon, so why not try having a bake sale to get people in the holiday spirit? You could make turkey-shaped cookies for Thanksgiving! Or draw leaves on brownies with colored icing!
  • Have a garage sale! Go through old stuff that you don’t need or use anymore with your parents, and ask them if you can have a garage sale one weekend. (Hint: If it’s too cold out, move your garage sale into your garage instead of having it in your yard or driveway.)
  • Sell your arts and crafts! Make crafts that you think people would love, like key chains, necklaces, bracelets, or rings, and set up a stand in front of your house (sort of like a lemonade stand!)
  • Get the word out! No matter what you decide to do for a fundraiser, let people know by putting up signs in your neighborhood and telling your friends and neighbors about it! (Maybe they’ll even want to help!)
  • Remember to have a sign up or a flyer out that says that your proceeds (the money you earn) will all be going to the New Moon Girls Scholarship Fund! And keep your parents in the loop! Parents can be really helpful when you’re trying to get started. Keeping them aware of what you are up to will help keep your fundraiser fun and safe!
How to get your fundraiser proceeds to New Moon Girls:
If you have a fundraiser or would like to donate, just visit our New Moon Girls Scholarship Page anytime from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15! With the help of an adult or parent, you can make your donation or donate the proceeds from your fundraiser!
Tell us what ideas you have! Submit your pictures, videos, or stories to New Moon Girls in Action! Or add your fundraising ideas in the comments below!

 

Have fun, and thanks for helping give schools, libraries, and girl groups the gift of New Moon Girls!

 

Love,

Luna

Filed Under: Changing the World
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