Nov. 5, 2009 New Moon Girl Media had a massive makeover last year giving girls 8 and up a vibrant, social, supportive space to express themselves without being bombarded by pop up ads for diets, hoochie mama fashions and (pre)teen profiteering…
I wrote about it extensively here and here and here (the latter being my favorite one, interviewing the girls themselves!) so let’s just say I was slack-jawed to hear they might have to close their doors by year’s end if the subscription model they’re using doesn’t get juiced with a boost of girl power, pronto!
I feel like Chicken Little peeping and tweeting around the Twitterverse, “ack! What can I do? What can I do?” along with several other femme forward orgs like HGHW (Hardy Girls Healthy Women, story to come on an exciting massive girl-driven movement we’re helping out with, help name it here!) and RespectRx, who have all signed on as affiliate partners to spread the word as well!
Truth is, the sky really IS falling…We have a limited time to help keep New Moon Girl Media ad-free, direct-funded and purely girl-driven, fueled by creative authenticity and UGC by girls for girls, rather than ideas put forth with intent to sell stuff and regurgitate media influence of what being a girl is all about. Please join our entire ‘Dream Team’ of youth advocates eager to help girls spot the spin, ground themselves in their own identities and counter-market the toxic cues coming their way. And here’s new word of their all stops out rally via Facebook event, “Save New Moon” where you can join in and help just by spreading the word…
I’m going to list the Twitter addresses of all the ‘girl advocates’ that could easily come aboard this media train to see if we can spike sales pronto by using social media as a savior for this worthy, deserving org…But if it doesn’t ‘work’ in this post (I’m known to crash our server at times with all the linky love) I’ll do a separate post to include same. Meanwhile:
You Can Help Right This Minute By:
Sharing & Caring, FREE: Tweet, blog, forward, e-blast, shout out the SOS to tell any & all who have girls in this ‘tween’ age zone.
Gift-giving, EASY: For less than a hot chocolate ($2.50/mo=$30 yr.) you can do ALL your holiday shopping EARLY, give a ‘tween’ girl a full year of healthy, hopeful, inspiration by sharing poetry, artwork, videos, fully moderated chat, and fun edu/environs designed to build self-esteem and positive body image (includes their bimonthly print magazine!)
Win-win, PHILANTHROPY: You can help little nonprofits like me who are in desperate need of funding as well! How? Becoming an affiliate means that if you order from our sidebar once their New Moon logo goes up next week as an ‘affiliate’ we get $10 of every $30 subscription you buy! (fyi, the current logos/orgs are simply up there cause we like them, this is our first foray into a pay bay…told you we’d SAY SO whenever there are ties, so New Moon Girl Media will be our FIRST!)
If you’re feeling the financial pinch as much as we are this year, and YOU want to apply to be a New Moon Girl Media affiliate to support their important work directly here’s how!
Finally, for those who would like to invest in EITHER of our organizations, obviously, this is the time for that ‘one-time’ Hail Mary…Throw the coins in the coffer NOW! 🙂 Sadly, our ‘donation station’ on our sidebar at right has been bone dry this year, with the exception of my mother. (I wish I were kidding. Not.)
I can’t emphasize enough that orgs like New Moon Girl Media who have been around for 16+ years producing award-winning content and advocating for our daughters are NOT kidding when they say they may have to shutter. May I remind you what happened to one of my other favorite orgs, Dads & Daughters which offered a decidedly male point of view on the important roles DADS play in the lives of girls?
Granted, Joe Kelly is still guiding fathers through fatherhood over at The Dad Man and there are some other fabulous mens magazines for dads like The Father Life, or bloggers like Bruce Sallan offering ‘A Dad’s Point of View’ but there’s a huge hole in the niche of father/daughter authentic dialog where Joe tackled touchy topics in bold and brazen advocacy to connect the dots for so many men tapping into how to best advocate for their girls’ without alienating them. (His DadTalk forum of man to man online versions of fireside chats lives on via Yahoo Groups)
Anyway, here’s more from New Moon Girl Media’s newsletter directly for action steps and a bit of a ‘snapshot’ of the online and offline magazine we’re fighting so hard to save.
To give you a feel of the history of this org, listen to the New Moon song written by Ann Reed way back in 1993…
It will move you to remember how we can’t let the sunset on this vital, vibrant organization… There’s a new moon rising…and it’s right around the corner!
I know we can do this, and use our collective knowledge and momentum to stave off any shuttering, for ANY of us! I look forward to being a long term partner and champion of change with New Moon Girl Media…
On a personal note, I’ve found Nancy Gruver (aka Girl Media Maven) who blogs at the New Moon led ‘zine Daughters.com a long term inspiration and one of the key voices that led me into creating Shaping Youth to begin with…
As I’ve said so many times, we need to UNITE voices collectively as one when there’s an urgency like this. So on that note, here’s my clarion cry for a ‘Girl Revolution’ to begin empowering girls rather than consuming them.
Heads up! A new Facebook event has been created to Save New Moon so invite friends to join in and spread the word to gear up for the holidays with some fun finds.
What better way to support girls inside and out? Online and off! Complete the circle to pay it forward for all girls to be well-rounded and self-empowered…and send the girl power message to anyone with tween girls here…
You can also help New Moon by:
- Sponsoring memberships for libraries, schools and programs serving low-income girls. It’s quick and easy to sponsor one, ten or 100 girls – every dollar matters.
- Buying memberships for all girls 8-14 that you know. The holiday special saves you 50% after the first order.
- Telling everyone what you value about New Moon. Link, follow on Facebook and Twitter and share with your FB friends and Tweeple…
I’m going to start by listing links from our Shaping Youth’s All Things Girl Series to invite every one of these folks to lend a hand by spreading the word to girls in their communities:
Shaping Youth’s All Things Girl Recap of Worthy Sites
A Tee Party Kicks Off All Things Girl Week on Shaping Youth
Veteran’s Day: Women in the Military: MyVetwork Launches
Interview with Girl Mogul Founder Andrea Stein
New Moon Girl Media Officially Launches
S.Y.’s Body Image Expert Dr. Robyn Silverman On Dove Forum
Global Women’s Leadership Network Hosts Young Leaders Worldwide
GWLN Delegate Carrie Ellett on Girls For a Change
Motrin Media Mamas & Twitter Tirades; Marcom Blunders Redux
Twilight Teens, GirlChild Press (Growing Up Girl) and Read Kiddo, Read!
Fem 2.0: Feminine Feminism & the Mother of All Conversations: Feb. 2, 2009
GLTR Girls: Girls Learn to Ride (wakeboards, snow/ski/skate/surf & more)
Doctor Jenn for Girls: Pajama Parties, Neuroscience & ‘Girls You Just Don’t Get It!’
What’s On Tweens’ Minds: Meet Denise Restauri of AllyKatzz
Girls Prescription for Self-Worth: Respect Rx
The Girl Effect: A World Changing Media Message
Smart Girls at the Party.TV: SNL’s Amy Poehler
Media Musts to Wrap Up All Things Girl Week Part One
Seven Sensational Blogs About Girls: All Things Girl Week Part Two, Finale!
Also, to help New Moon further, I’ll even toss in a hardback copy of Packaging Girlhood…
…A fabulous book by Shaping Youth Advisory Board members Dr. Lyn Mikel Brown & Dr. Sharon Lamb.
Be the first ‘affiliate purchase’ of New Moon’s cool offerings (wait till we get our button up next week so I can track it though, ok?) and I’ll send it out to you pronto! A moral imperative to give our girls media literacy on pop culture, ya know? 😉
In fact, I’ll sweeten the deal and add a second copy for a “drawing” by year’s end, simply for commenting on this post or tweeting it out there into the blogosphere to spread the word and help New Moon!
Tweet, tweet, chickadees… (oops, that’s right, Girls Are Not Chicks Coloring Book coming soon for holiday season via Reach & Teach.com! Story/full feature ahead on their great social justice org…another holiday ‘must’…)
Nothing more fun than being MOONED 🙂
Hi Amy – thanks for spreading the word about New Moon – our campaign is going well because of supporters like you – we’re so grateful!
Great post, especially for all of us who are fans of New Moon and Nancy. Keep up the good work to save this magazine!
Mind on the Media is another fabulous organization launched by Nancy. Her work on behalf of girls is of immeasurable value and continues to inspire.
Yep, thanks, Mary, I’ve been a fan of Mind on the Media since its days of being ‘TBIO.org’ Turn Beauty Inside Out! In fact, that’s where I initially started meeting all of these amazing women, going to the summits and sharing the impact on girls and young women! (the last one in ‘Selling to Hollywood’ w/Geena Davis & the Sisterhood of the Travelin’ Pants tribe was my fave!) Thanks so much for the note, Mary…we’ll keep rockin’ this and see if we can rattle some cages and get coinage in coffers for Nancy’s crew 🙂
.-= Amy Jussel´s last blog ..Twitter “Women2Follow” Dedicated to Inspiring Girls! =-.
my daughter Grace was chosen to be in the May June edition no one called to interview her we have been eagerly waiting and I filled get back to us ASAp Than Kyou
I forwarded this directly to Nancy so am hoping she’s gotten back to you by now, as she was out with a wedding/family extended time away for a bit… Congrats to Grace! Keep me posted 🙂