Express Yourself!

School is back in session and students return with that new school year, new you cool…new haircuts, a different wardrobe, flashy backpacks, or totally different looks and goals. Everyone wants to re-define themselves. Our teen hosts and reporters have lots to report on staying healthy, making a difference, getting the right supplies, managing time appropriately, joining clubs, prioritizing homework assignments, getting enough sleep, finding the best apps for honor roll style, and much more. Rachel Glass, Youngjoo Ahn, and Katelyn Darrow host, report, and converse with Nerd Word reporter Jane Fessenden offering insights into great cool tools that you may never have heard about but will definitely want to implement. Floridian Health Beat reporter couldn't be on the program but sent in her tips on organizing your day and getting enough sleep. If you want to major in success, you want to tune in to today's Express Yourself!™ and get ready for some team spirit. ,

Depression/Anxiety Over 350 million people suffer from depression worldwide According to the World Mental Health Survey conducted in 17 countries, 20 people have reported episode of depression in the previous year. Depression leads to mental deterioration, and, at its worst, can cause individuals to commit suicide, which result in an estimated 1 million deaths every year. Our teen reporters and hosts share information, tips, and more that help us recognize depression and reduce our stress. Hosts Youngjoo Ahn and Katelyn Darrow lead the discussions with Global Youth Reporter, Ryan Sim tells us to reach out for help. #Hashtag reporter, Alex Lee, believes that social networking leads to increased depression and encourages listeners to distance themselves from technology more often. Special guest is the 19 year old You Tube rising star, Joshelyn Smith, who writes songs on her guitar and piano and posts about life, beauty, fitness & wellness, motivation, and anything that tickles her fancy.

The parents of teens today didn't grow up with cell phones, and although we seem to not be able to live without them, there are risks involved. Hosts for today's program are Rachel Glass and Katelyn Darrow who interview others with differing opinions. The Health Beat reporter in Florida, Nicole Eubanks provides startling statistics: each month, girls send on average 4050 texts and boys send 2539! Car accidents have risen and radiation from cell phones can cause brain tumors, sleep disorders, and more. Katelyn shares the upsides of the smart phone apps that can help others through volunteering in her Gift of Giving segment. Youngjoo Ahn talks about apps that boost creativity to help people write, draw, photograph, and play. She says she can't live without them. Social Networking reporter, Alex Lee loves his IPHONE 5 but cautions listeners that although it can do many things, it is still a phone, meant to be used for interaction with other humans, and not through Facetime.

Is it right to keep secrets? Is it wrong to blab about something that was told in confidence? Privacy is critical to confidence and sometimes being too truthful can be hurtful. In today's Express Yourself!™ our teen hosts, Courtney Cheng and Rachel Glass delve into the dark shadows of secret keeping. What's Poppin' Reporter, Caie Kelley shares a few not so secret secrets concerning celebrities, Rachel talks about the importance of trust, integrity. and being able to not be a blabbermouth, and Courtney reviews a magical book, Dragon Drop that deals with keeping important secrets and being a true friend. A special guest joins the teens, fourteen-year-old Sierra Ackerman, daughter of the late Jerry Ackerman, author of the young adult novel, Dragon Drop. Jerry wrote the character of Lily based on his daughter and today Sierra channels Lily, inhabiting the life of the heroine of the book as she invites a dragon named Py into her home.

Are you an optimist or pessimist? Do you find yourself being up or down? Positivity is a choice. We have the power to be happy or the power to make ourselves sad. Positive people lead happier lives and research indicates they live longer as well. In Express Yourself!™ today, hosts Rachel Glass and Hannah Li focus on the ability to bring more positivity into our daily routine. Rachel talks about the importance of looking at our glass as half full as opposed to half empty. Hannah dresses in bright colors and expresses the idea that wardrobe is important to creating an optimistic mood. What's Poppin' reporter, Caie Kelley, offers up quotes from famous people who have been instrumental in turning bad situations into wins and New York Times best selling author and radio producer, Cynthia Brian shares her optimistic viewpoint on how to become the positive star you were meant to be.If you've been down lately, this program will up your happiness and positivity quotient.

No matter who you are or where you are going to school, college is a scary thing. Transitioning to university life is a huge stepping stone to becoming an adult . Hannah Li co-hosts for the first time with college student and segment one co-host, Rachel Glass, who offers simple tips from her own experience about preparing for life after high school. Caie Kelley joins Hannah in co-hosting in segment two by interviewing Artsy Gifts reporter, Youngjoo Ahn, with her creative suggestions on home made care packages for your college colleagues. Segment three tackles the SAT's as both Hannah and Caie offer helpful tips about this stressful test. New reporter, Jennifer Lee, joins the girls in segment four with Backstory, a fun segment of interesting facts from behind-the-scenes stories concerning songs, movies, and other trivia. If you or someone you know is headed to college, this is program will inspire, comfort, and motivate.

Summer is what you make it. It's your choice whether you have a fun, productive summer, or three months of absolute boredom. From catching up on pop culture to health and exercise, summer is a great time to do the things you never seem to have time for during a busy school year. Our hosts Caie Kelley and Youngjoo discuss what has kept them energized and excited this summer from traveling to work. Book It! reporter, Courtney Cheng talks about making a summer reading list as well as catching up on movies and TV series that are missed during the school year. Rachel Glass gives examples of how to use summer to do positive things for your self such as exercising, flossing, chilling, and getting healthier. Katelyn Darrow catches us up on all of her traveling, conferences, and preparation for the new school year. A wide array of fabulous fun pportunities for entertainment are available including lots of freebies for students.

What is peer pressure and how does it affect us? Peer pressure is the influence of the social group on an individual. If you have ever felt like someone was trying to get you to do something that you didn't want to do, you have experienced peer pressure. Peer pressure is JUST THAT-pressure. Just because "everyone else" is doing it, is not a reason to do "it". In fact, lots of things people say they are doing, they really aren't. They are just bragging and trying to get others pressured into doing something. On Express Yourself!™ today, our co-hosts Caie Kelley and Rachel Glass interview four reporters with various viewpoints pertaining to peer pressure. Isaiah Rankin, reporter for Nature Calls, shares the delicacy of eating tarantulas in Cambodia, also #Hashtag and information on the social networking buzz plague, #YOLO. Bruce Lee was right when he said, "I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations and you're not in this world to live up to mine."

In our Going GREEN program we feature four fabulous teen hosts and two amazing guest stars from around the country who are truly living eco. In segments one and two, hosts Katelyn Darrow (New Jersey) and Caie Kelley (California) interview Mario Jr. (Florida),the first President of KidsStar and host of the Voice America Kids Radio show, Mario Jr. Alive and Green. In segments three and four, Youngjoo Ahn (California) and Clare Durant (Indiana) go on an exciting journey with Alison Teal (Hawaii) adventurer and film maker of the series, Alison's Adventures. As an environmental activist, he is President of TEAM ECO JR a non-profit providing opportunities to kid's of all backgrounds. Alison travels the world looking into the secrets to survival, sustainability, and happiness. Alison Tealcan be seen on a brand new Discovery Channel series Naked & Afraid where Alison's survival skills are tested.

The relationship between age and driving behavior has interested highway safety researchers and administrators for many years. It is generally acknowledged that the greatest risk of traffic crashes is among teenage drivers. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers across the United States. For both men and women, drivers aged 16 to 19 years of age have the highest average annual crash and traffic violation rates of any other age group. In this episode of Express Yourself!™ our teens, Youngjoo Ahn, Katelyn Darrow, Nicole Eubanks, Caie Kelley, and Steven Zhou chime in with their personal experiences with learning to drive.