Ask a Girl Pick of the Day!

Here at New Moon, we've been thrilled to see the activity growing on our new online feature, Ask a Girl. Based on the belief that sometimes the best advice comes from a peer who knows, and that good advice means even more to girls when it comes from another girl their own age, Ask a Girl has always been an important feature in New Moon Magazine. Seeing it come to life online reinforces to us the importance and potential of supportive, girl-centered communities and makes us even more excited to see our full online experience for girls launch this September.

If you haven't had the pleasure of visiting our microsite yet, here's just one example of the great "girl talk" happening there. On April 30th, Sophie, 12, of Massachusetts wrote:

"Because I haven't had friends for a while, I've sort of built a wall around myself and my feelings. That makes it hard and rather awkward to make new friends! How can I tear down the wall?"

Here are a few great responses that came in from girls:
"Dear Sophie: At home hang out with your brothers and sisters and your parents. It might feel wierd, but you'll be tearing down that wall. And eventually you will have good friends. So play team sports and do things that have to do with you hanging out with other people...and that doesnt mean getting a boyfriend. Take baby steps!!!" Haven, 10, Wisconsin

"Dear Sophie: The wall you've built is going to take time to tear down. But if you get support from your family nothing will stop you. Another thing I found good to have is if you join a club that has your interests. You will find people that have your same interests in that club." Sarah, 13, Georgia

If you haven't had the pleasure yet of seeing New Moon girl community in action, check it out! We hope you love it! And let us know what you think!

~Autumn
Online Manager
New Moon Girl Media

Pride and Prejudice

This past Sunday, the Girls Editorial Board (GEB) met to choose articles for New Moon's November/December "Pride and Prejudice" issue. We sorted through some great submissions from our readers, including articles about race and gender discrimination, the treatment of gay and lesbian people, and a projection of how the American people may react to a woman president.

Impressed with the great stuff our readers came up with, we took a break and found a cozy spot outside to take some photos. Camera in arm and sun in our eyes, we lined up, all ten of us, and snapped a few shots to put with our first blog post. Hi everyone!

After an ice cream snack (yum, chocolate fudge and whipped cream!), we settled onto the floor and wrote down some of our own article ideas. We asked ourselves a few key questions: Is there prejudice against girls? If so, what? What assumptions do others make about girls before they get to know them? Where do these assumptions come from? What should girls be proud of? How do we celebrate when we're proud of our accomplishments? Are we quick to judge others based on their appearances or the activities they're involved with?

No two girls have the same answer. Which means we want to hear your thoughts! Have you faced prejudice and reacted in a way you're proud of? Are you just bursting to tell someone about something you did? Share your story! And after your done adding your comments, head over to NewMoonClub.com and submit your own Ask a Girl question or advice. If you're feeling extra creative, check out our submission guidelines to learn how you can send New Moon your own articles and ideas!

The more we share with each other, the stronger our community of girls will be!

Check Out NewMoonClub.com!

At New Moon Girl Media we are in high gear creating an online community for girls ages 8 to 12 that will be like no other. That community will fully launch in September, but we're so excited to announce our first interactive feature, Ask a Girl, is already here! Check it out!

For 15 years, Ask a Girl has been one of the most popular features in New Moon: The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams. For those of you who may be uninitiated, Ask a Girl is a peer-to-peer advice column. In each issue of New Moon magazine, two questions from girls seeking advice are published. Readers then submit their advice. In the next issue of the magazine, that advice is published along with new Ask a Girl questions.

At New Moon, we know that girls are smart, powerful people who can help each other and change the world. We also know that tweens and teens have real concerns and difficulties. Unfortunately, youth is no protection from stress, worry, questioning, and problems. At some time in our lives, we've all experienced that moment when connecting with a peer--sharing a difficulty with someone who understands, who has been there, who sees the world through the same eyes--makes all the difference. In sharing, we realize we're not alone. In recieving advice from someone we trust, we realize there's a way to move forward.

This past week, we at New Moon have seen Ask a Girl take flight in a new and wonderful form. Now that Ask a Girl has a home online, girls can post questions and get answers every day. Back at the office, we read every submission before sharing it with the community. This keeps Ask a Girl safe for every girl using it. But for me, reading these daily submissions has meant something more as well. It's a moment to reflect on just how amazing the New Moon girl community really is. In New Moon magazine, and now at NewMoonClub.com, girls from all over the world come together, take each other seriously, support each other, open up with some of their most personal questions, and give deep and thoughtful responses. These girls impress and inspire, and as New Moon grows online, they will have even more ways to come together, use their voices, and change the world. Check it out for yourself at NewMoonClub.com and share it with the girls in your life.

~ Autumn Libal
Manager, NewMoonClub.com