Behind the news with the the only journalism nonprofit that focuses exclusively on children, youth and families at risk. What do its leaders think about the state of mainstream media, the power of "good news" and what comes next?

The advocacy organization Every Child Matters persuaded hundreds of members to congratulate President Obama on his first 100 days and on the “kid-friendly parts” of his budget. How did it mobilize so many? Through e-mail, Facebook and Twitter, among other things. But can children’s champions use social media to make a real-world impact? Commentator Ray Schultz talked with Every Child Matters.

Anyone planning a Semester of Service or Global Youth Service Day project is invited to register for these calls, all at 2:00 pm EST. February 17, 2009 will cover partnerships and volunteer recruitment, March 3 will discuss fundraising and grantwriting and the March 17 webinar will address media and web communications.

The answer apparently is yes, according to this report published in Pediatrics. Data from a National Longitudinal Survey of Youth indicate that teens exposed to high levels of television sexual content were twice as likely to become pregnant within the next 3 years, compared with those with lower levels of exposure.

CFK Reports From: It's Child's Play: Advergaming and the Online Marketing of Food to Children
Event: Forum
Organized By: Kaiser Family Foundation
Where/When: Barbara Jordan Conference Center; July 19, 2006

The seemingly innocuous online games kids play at the Web sites of companies such as McDonald's, Kraft, and Hershey are targeted marketing tools for food products, according to a study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

When you learn that a teen is in foster care, what is your reaction? Empathy? Curiosity? Apprehension? News stories and popular media portrayals of young people involved with the child welfare system, paired with selective statistics about how this population is faring, can feed apprehension at the expense of a more positive view of the strength that can come from overcoming adversity. La Terra Cole, an intern with Connect For Kids, reflects on some recent "mainstream media" portrayals of foster care.

CFK Reports From: Violent and Explicit Video Games: Informing Parents and Protecting Children
Event: Hearing
Organized By: Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection
Where/When: June 14, 2006; 2123 Rayburn House Office Building

When it was revealed last year that a popular video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" contained a hidden graphic sex scene unlocked by downloadable software, members of Congress waged a war against graphic content in video games.

Youth Communication, the non-profit founded by Keith Hefner in New York City to give young people a voice on the things that matter to them, is now 25 years old—a notable milestone in the notoriously under-funded world of youth media. Lisa R. Rhodes, a former Youth Communication writer herself, looks at how Hefner's organization has grown and thrived, transforming young lives along the way.

The Turn Beauty Inside Out Girls Leadership Retreat 2006 will focus on the music industry.

The Turn Beauty Inside Out (TBIO) Campaign is an ongoing public education effort started by New Moon� Magazine and now coordinated by Mind on the Media.