T-Shirt Tote Bags

A program that teens seem to love (beyond all reason) is T-Shirt Tote Bags. Now I know why I love it: it is cheap, quick and simple.

What's not to love about a program that requires only shirts and scissors?

And with the diversity of shirts you can use, the end results can wind up being pretty unique.

We went to our local thrift shop and bought a couple of "Rag Bags" (aka a bag of shirts that sell mostly to people who use them to clean up in shops and such) for about $2. And that with our supply of fabric scissors (always make sure to properly label your scissors as "Fabric" so they don't get ruined by being used on something else) we have one very inexpensive program.

An alternative would be to have a BYOT (Bring Your Own T-Shirt) event and have them bring a shirt of their own to reinvent. [I will offer more suggestions for redoing shirts later that should make either a BYOT or an investment in starting a shirt stash very worthwhile.]

Sexting Doesn't Hurt Anyone, Right?

Sending your significant other a cute little nude photo. It's no big deal, right? It's private. It's just a little sexting.

24% of high school students and 33% of college students have been involved in sexting.

When their photos were shared, many teens became subject of online bullying. The harassment became so bad some victims have committed suicide.

Many don't see it as a big deal. Many don't realize how easily that very private photo can become so very public.

All it takes is 1 group text to spread the photo. Once someone else is in possession of your photo, you no longer control how they share that photo. "17% of sexters share the messages they receive with others, and 55% of those share them with more than one person." https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-sexting

And if you forward a nude or partially nude photo of an underage girl, you can be charged with child pornography.

So, talk to teens about the real dangers of sexting. Help them see how easily a photo can be shared and the ramifications of sharing that photo.


Dangers of Sexting: https://www.doj.state.wi.us/sites/default/files/dci/icac/dangers-sexting.pdf

Phycology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/teen-angst/201207/the-dangers-teen-sexting

Teen Sexting Statistics: http://www.pcsndreams.com/Pages/Sexting_Statistics.html