International Beauty Project

If you're looking for fun & relaxing activities this summer check out the meditation centers in Ridgefield and Redding. The Do Ngak Kunphen Ling Buddhist Center is in Redding and there is also the Redding Center for Meditation.
Meditation is a great resource/activity to help deal with trauma, stress, anxiety, depression, and many other ailments.
You do not have to be a practicing buddhist/yogi/meditator to take part in these events. They encourage beginners to come check out the centers and for many of the meditations only a donation is required.
There are several upcoming retreats and events in July. Check out their websites and pages for more information.

Next Time Someone Says Women Aren't Victims Of Harrassment, Show Them This

Meet The 15-Year-Old From Rural Guatemala Who Addressed The U.N. "We [adolescent girls] have a voice and we are going to use it."

When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now, I’m standing here and I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere: Yes, you do. I promise you do. You do. Stay weird, stay different. And then, when it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person who comes along.”

Behind The Most Talked About Acceptance Speech At The 2015 Oscars During the ceremony, Graham Moore, a first-time Academy Award nominee, spoke of his su***de attempt as a teenager and sent a message to kids who feel out of place to "stay weird." He talk...

Grandma's Haven Protects Kids From Watts's Violence A 74-year-old grandmother has turned her home into a safe haven for the forgotten children of the crippled community of Watts.

Kenyan grandmother at school with her great-great-grandchildren A 90-year-old Kenyan woman, who goes to class with six of her great-great-grandchildren, is believed to be the oldest primary school pupil in the world, writes the BBC's Ed Thomas.

"After her daughter, then 23, disappeared 12 years ago, the likely victim of s*x traffickers, Susana Trimarco began a search for justice that continues to this day. She has also helped numerous others in the process, becoming a guardian to 129 survivors of s*x trafficking and helping to make s*x trafficking part of Argentina's national agenda. For her trouble, Susana has had her house set on fire and has twice escaped being run over. But she will not give up. 'The desperation of a mother blinds you,' she said. 'It makes you fearless.'" - via Half the Sky

To read an in-depth NY Times profile about Trimarco and her organization, Fundación María de los Ángeles, visit
http://nyti.ms/SF8X2g -- or visit the group's website at http://bit.ly/RHzc7c

An estimated 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year according to the International Organization for Migration, mostly for forced labor and s*xual exploitation. Many more, like Susana Trimarco's daughter, are trafficked within their own countries.

To learn more about this problem, as well as about the exploitation of girls and women in general, we highly recommend "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" at http://www.amightygirl.com/half-the-sky and the accompanying documentary, for ages 13 and up, at http://www.amightygirl.com/half-the-sky-documentary

For an excellent though challenging novel about one girl's experience being trafficked into prostitution, we highly recommend "Sold" for readers 14 and up at http://www.amightygirl.com/sold

The film, "Girl Rising," also explores the challenges faced by many girls in developing countries, recommended for ages 13 and up, at http://www.amightygirl.com/girl-rising

To watch the first episode of the newly released A Path Appears documentary, which is focused on s*x trafficking in the US -- recommended for older teen and adult viewers -- visit http://video.pbs.org/video/2365387809/

To learn about several organizations working to end s*x trafficking, visit Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn resource page at http://bit.ly/1lEYjTS

Photo credit: Julio Pantoja/Infoto

NYE Resolution:
I am going to follow a "diet" called F**k-It-All. It's quite simple - you eat what you want when you're hungry. You stop when you're full. You listen to natural cues from your body (cravings) and follow them in moderation. Additionally, you adopt a new mindset where you repeat the following mantra every day "I do not give a f**k what society thinks about my body".
For example: Today I ate dessert. I had cookies and my exact thoughts were "I shouldn't eat this - I won't look good in a bikini." Then I said to myself, "Who the f**k cares?"
I'm going to enjoy chocolate and cookies and pizza and potatoes. Life is too short to abuse my body and restrict what I can eat. Besides, the ass I gained in recovery looks pretty damn good in a bikini.
Here's to a happy and healthy new year!!!

Kakenya Ntaiya, like many women in Kenya, was subjected to female ge***al cutting as a girl. For most girls, a marriage would soon follow, but Kakenya, then 14, had other plans: “I really liked going to school. I knew that once I went through the cutting, I was going to be married off. And my dream of becoming a teacher was going to end.” So Kakenya threatened her father with running away, but agreed to stay and submit to the ritual, often called female ge***al mutilation or FGM, if he let her finish high school.

Her father kept his word, and Kakenya excelled, earning a scholarship to a college in the US. Her Maasai village raised funds for her airfare, and in return she promised to come home to help her community. And, she did after earning her degree, working with the United Nations, and getting her doctorate in education. As Kakenya explains, “I came back so girls don't have to negotiate like I did to achieve their dreams."

In 2009, she opened the Kakenya Center for Excellence, a primary school that currently educates 150 Maasai girls. Originally a day school, students now live there to spare them miles of walking -- which includes the risk of s*xual assault -- and the requirement of spending free time on chores instead of studying. “Now, they can focus on their studies -- and on being kids,” says Kakenya. “It's the only way you can give a girl child a chance to excel.”

Parents cover the cost of meals, but Kakenya covers any student who can’t pay. Parents also have to agree that girls will not be subjected to ge***al mutilation or child marriage, which is becoming easier as men start to see the benefits of their daughters staying in school. “They want to become doctors, pilots, lawyers,” Kakenya says. “Fathers are now saying, “My daughter could do better than my son.”

Even Chief John Naleke, a village elder, has gone from arguing against the needs for girls’ education in 2006 to supporting the school today: “We have several sons who have gone to the United States for school. Kakenya is the only one that I can think of that has come back to help us.... She brought a school and a light and is trying to change old customs to help girls get a new, better life.”

Kakenya admits that it is still difficult challenging male attitudes in her area, “[b]ut nothing good comes on a silver plate. You have to fight hard... When [the girls] start, they are so timid [but now] the confidence they have, it's just beyond words. It's the most beautiful thing.”

To learn more or to help support Kakenya's Dream - the Academy for Girls, visit their website at http://www.kakenyasdream.org/.

To watch an inspiring TED talk by Kekenya, visit http://bit.ly/ObaaLW

For over 450 true stories for children and teens about women trailblazers around the world, visit A Mighty Girl’s “Role Models" biography section at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/history-biography/biography

For two books for young readers about girls and the power of education, we recommend "A Girl Called Problem" for ages 9 to 14 (http://www.amightygirl.com/a-girl-called-problem) and "Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan" for ages 6 and up (http://www.amightygirl.com/nasreens-secret-school).

For more books to help children understand the struggle for girls' access to education in many parts of the world, check out our blog post "Mighty Girl Books on Children's Fight for Education" at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog/?p=4057

For a highly recommended book for older teens and adults that discusses how girls and women are fighting back against oppression and transforming their communities, check out: "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" at http://www.amightygirl.com/half-the-sky

And, for two films that explore the transformative potential and power of girls and women in developing countries - both for ages 13 and up: the documentary based on the “Half the Sky" book (http://www.amightygirl.com/half-the-sky-documentary) and “Girl Rising” (http://www.amightygirl.com/girl-rising).

Disney Princesses Reimagined As Different Ethnicities Look Absolutely Beautiful Disney's effort to racially diversify its princess roster with Tiana was welcomed by many, but for those who want to see even more diversity in their cast of princesses, the Let There Be Doodles Tumblr blog has got you covered. The artist behind this blog modified 10 screen captures of Disney prince…

Fighting back against anorexia

These Disney characters look very shocking and different, but it's all for a good cause These Disney characters look very shocking and different but it's all for a good cause

“I have had over 50 death threats... but I won’t stop saving child brides." -- Kriti Bharti

"Kriti Bharti is a 26-year-old child rights activist in India who has helped annul 150 child marriages, despite numerous death threats. Although child marriage is illegal in India, it is still common, and Kriti says she has met many families who have married their 5-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl in secret, just waiting for them to reach the legal marriageable age to make it official. 'I know my life is at risk but I can’t sit back and watch these children suffer,' she says. Kriti made international headlines in 2012 when she helped 18-year-old Laxmi Sargara become the first woman in India to annul her child marriage, which has given courage to other girls to challenge the tradition. Much respect and admiration to a very brave woman." -- Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

To read more about Kriti's incredible story in Friday magazine, visit http://bit.ly/1aLCeiW -- and visit her organization's website, Saarthi Trust, at http://saarthitrust.com/

For an insightful book about the plight of child brides, check out "I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced," which tells the true story of 10-year-old Yemeni girl Nujood Ali, who had been married to a man three times her age, escaped and, with the help of a renowned Yemeni lawyer, successfully sued for divorce in 2008. Recommended for ages 16 and up at http://www.amightygirl.com/i-am-nujood

For a highly recommended book for older teens and adults that discusses how girls and women are fighting back against oppression and transforming their communities, check out: "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" at http://www.amightygirl.com/half-the-sky

There are also two films that explore the transformative potential and power of girls and women in developing countries - both for ages 13 and up: the documentary based on the “Half the Sky" book (http://www.amightygirl.com/half-the-sky-documentary) and “Girl Rising” (http://www.amightygirl.com/girl-rising).

A Mighty Girl also has a section of stories that feature poverty and hardship as a significant theme. Such stories provide opportunities for parents to discuss these topics with their children while also helping to foster children's empathy for people living in difficult circumstances. Learn more at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/social-issues/poverty-hardship

For an excellent multimedia report from National Geographic on the "Secret World of Child Brides," about the plight of the over 100 million girls in developing countries will become child brides in the next decade, at least half of whom will be 15 and under, visit http://bit.ly/1yVR8xu

To learn more about this issue, check out the great work of the Girls Not Brides partnership at http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/