Teen Voices is an international feminist teen women’s magazine based in Boston that is by, for and about teen women. The magazine and website, Teenvoices.com, publish writings and artwork by teen women from all over the world on issues that matter to them.
I became a volunteer editorial mentor for the magazine back in 1997, and became the magazine’s Senior Editor shortly thereafter. I couldn’t wait to graduate and be its Senior Editor full-time! I worked at Teen Voices for six glorious years, and then it was time to move on.
One of my comrades and close friends, Tori Costa, who I met at Teen Voices, is now its Marketing Director. She started out as an editorial mentor back in 1999 and became a full-time staff person when she graduated in 2000.
Here’s Tori…
Congratulations on Teen Voices turning 16! What kinds of projects and events does Teen Voices have in store to celebrate its special teenage birthday?
Thanks! We just kicked off our sweet 16 with the April print issue of Teen Voices, and it’s been pretty great so far. We had an event on April 11 called “AMPLIFY!� that celebrated 16 years of girl power, poetry, and prose. It was a pretty amazing and inspirational night—the room was filled with over 250 community activists and supporters, we had some amazing speakers, and our Peer Leaders performed an incredible poem. You can check this all out at www.TeenVoices.com/Amplify. We chose the name “AMPLIFY!� for our event because through the years we’ve heard from thousands of teen girls who have amplified important issues and social change by sending in their writing and artwork. And, through our programs and publications, we have amplified the voices and experiences of teen girls worldwide.
We hold Awards Ceremonies at the end of each session to celebrate the accomplishments, commitment and growth of each Teen Editor during her time in the program. We also provide book clubs, workshops, and poetry slams throughout the year to teen girls who are not in our program so that they can engage in dialogue about important social justice issues and also develop their leadership skills. Our summer conference will focus on writing—different genres, career paths, etc. I know that we will definitely be incorporating our birthday theme into these activities!
We will also be publishing a “Top 10 Ways to Celebrate Your Sweet Sixteen� online in the next few months. We want to hear from teens on how they are rockin’ their sweet sixteen, so for teens reading this—send in your writing to TeenVoices@TeenVoices.com.
Looking back, who are some of the feminist activists and organizations who have supported Teen Voices over the years?
Gloria Steinem, media activist Jean Kilbourne, Judy Norsigian of the history-making Our Bodies, Ourselves, meteorologist Mish Michaels of WBZ-TV, Ani DiFranco, and Sociology & Women’s Studies Professor Gail Dines of Wheelock College are just a few of the amazing supporters we’ve had through the years. We’ve always had a Board of Directors and Advisory Board who inspire, challenge, and motivate us to do more and better. And, we’ve had foundation and corporate support that has really sustained us throughout time. We’ve partnered with national organizations like Girls Inc., YWCA, RAINN, and community organizations like Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Girls Coalition, Simmons College, and more. We’ll actually be collaborating with the editors of Our Bodies, Ourselves, the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, to develop a number of health features focusing on mental health. They are such an inspiring and amazing organization, and we are really excited by the possibilities.
What specific challenges do you have as the Marketing Director of a non-profit and feminist teen women’s magazine?
As a non-profit, the lack of a marketing budget and staff to really make the impact that you know you can make is a challenge. The majority of our funding comes from foundations who really want to invest in people and not in your postage statement. So, the majority of our funding is restricted for just program use. What isn’t restricted needs to pay the rent, electricity, staff salaries, and all those important things that you need to have a functioning organization. That doesn’t leave very much left over for fun marketing stuff, and what is left over needs to be put into efforts that will result in income. So, while having mugs, t-shirts, and an awesome ad campaign will definitely strengthen your brand and organization’s messaging (which is important for long-term success), it doesn’t have the quick rate of return necessary to make sure that you’re effectively using resources.
Being a feminist, teen women’s magazine brings a whole other set of challenges. Most magazines are funded through their advertising dollars. Because of who we are, Teen Voices does not accept any advertising that exploits teen girls or women, including fashion or beauty ads. The majority of our advertisers tend to be colleges or non-profits. In actuality, advertising only brings in about 10% or our income. Also, we’ve strategically shifted our focus from publishing a quarterly print magazine to publishing a bi-annual print and monthly online, allowing us to publish more content more frequently and reach a much larger teen audience. While this has had a positive impact in achieving our goals, it does make it more difficult to have a huge newsstand presence like other teen publications.
Also, our readers age out. Depending on how old they are when they join, we really only have them for a 2-3 year period. And, for many, they see us only as a teen publication. We have worked really hard to get people to understand that there is a program behind the publication, and just because your teen ages out, it doesn’t mean that you no longer have something to support. In fact, it is just as critical to support us so that we can continue our programming and publish the writings of girls. I think our readers are beginning to understand that and we are seeing people renew their giving who haven’t given in a while, and give at higher levels.
If you had a dream marketing budget, what would you do with it?
Please, don’t tease me! Where would I even begin? Definitely doing lots of mailings to get the word out about Teen Voices. I see great events, billboards, commercials, lots of advertising in all of the progressive publications promoting not only our print and online publications, but all of the great programming that we do. T-shirts, journals, pens, a special “best of� book, a membership benefits package that any supporter would drool over, and lots more. There’s no lack of ideas at Teen Voices—if anyone would like to invest in our marketing program, feel free to give me a call!
How did you find out about Teen Voices? And what drew you to it?
I was searching for a publishing internship my senior year of college and came across Teen Voices. I thought it was interesting at first, though it definitely lacked the glam, corporate publishing work environment that I wanted. I went in for an interview, and fell in love! I distinctly remember having a “breathless� moment when I first saw the publication. It embodied everything that I was thinking as a teen and as a young woman, but didn’t know that there were others thinking and feeling like I did. I was really inspired by the fact that it was a publication that was written by, for, and about teen girls, and that it was positive, powerful, and empowering—so different from the mainstream.
I also was really impressed by the program. Working in groups of two with a college-aged editorial mentor, teens from Boston read through submissions sent in from girls around the world, and develop a themed feature. They go through a four-step editorial process—submitting their proposal and going through a round of three edits. Through it, they learn important research, writing, and critical thinking skills that are fundamental to their academic, professional, and personal success. The fact that there was program doing this important work while publishing an incredible publication motivated me to become a mentor.
As a woman living in this world you cannot help but be affected by the media images of you. I was so moved and inspired by the program and publication that I completely wanted to get involved and be a part of the solution.
How did you climb your way up from volunteer intern to Marketing Director?
The climb definitely wasn’t intentional, and every once in a while I am a bit surprised by it. I started as a editorial mentor in the program, and during my internship, got to work in the ad sales area, did volunteer coordination, and also office management. That’s the great thing about small non-profits—you really get meaningful hands-on experience in so many areas. When I graduated from college in 2000, I was offered a position as the Publishing Associate and worked with the Circulation Director to disseminate issues of Teen Voices, grow our subscriber base, and do lots of data entry—quite the privilege. In my seven years as a staff person, I moved from Publishing Associate to Membership & Marketing Coordinator, and most recently promoted to Marketing Director. During that time, I’ve done a combination of both marketing and development—two areas I never saw myself in—I always wanted to be an editor!
When you started out at Teen Voices, what did Teen Voices mean to you? What does it mean to you now?
I was 21 when I first started at Teen Voices. And, while I went to an all-girls high school when I was a teen, this was really my first all-female, feminist/activist environment. Coming from a conservative, Portuguese-Catholic background, it was pretty eye-opening. Working with people from diverse backgrounds, orientations, political beliefs, etc. really made me challenge my pretty insular views and grow as a person. I was also about the same age as many of the mentors, volunteers, and staff. It was electrifying to be a part of a community where everyone was committed to the mission and values of the organization, and worked hard to get things accomplished.
Seven years later, I am still really fortunate to work in an organization whose staff, board, teen constituents, and volunteers are so committed to the work and mission. Like any teen, Teen Voices has had its share of growing pains, going through the natural highs and lows that non-profits go through. And, like any teen, its matured and come into its own, creatively addressing challenges in order to grow stronger (developing different programs, focusing more on online publishing) and going out in full force to shake things up.
Teen Voices feels different to me now than when I was 21. It still is electrifying and amazing, I still feel awed every time I read a new issue, but I don’t have that “down in the trenches,� “us vs. them� feeling anymore. I think it’s because we’ve finally reached a place where the possibilities of what we can do are still limitless, but with a little time and planning, we know we can accomplish it all. There’s a certain confidence and intentionality here that I think only happens as you get older.
I’ve met really incredible people during my time here and have made some amazing friendships. And, it is great to be in a place and see how transformative the work is in such a short amount of time. Oftentimes, the girls come into the program really quiet and unsure what to expect. Many are dealing with intense issues at home and for most, Teen Voices is the first all-female environment they’ve been in. In a few short weeks, you see the difference. The same teens who looked down when you first walked by them are now engaging with you. Leadership positions on the Editorial Board are sought after, and for many, the positive female relationships that they have built have been surprising and most rewarding. I feel really privileged to be a part of this community.
What can readers do to help Teen Voices celebrate its big birthday and help keep it celebrating more birthdays?
The biggest thing that they can do is become a member today at www.TeenVoices.com. We currently have 54,000 readers worldwide and receive about 7.6 million hits per year on our website. As a member, you get the print and online magazine delivered right to you. But most importantly, your contribution supports our programming and publication. Teen Voices is the perfect gift for teen girls, and if you don’t know any teen girls, we definitely know lots that you can donate your issues to! Schools, libraries, organizations also love Teen Voices and use them in their curriculum. Readers can sign them up for memberships, too!
They can also support us by encouraging girls to send in their writing and artwork to us, joining our mailing list to get more information about all our happenings, advertising in our print and online magazine, and being a Teen Voices advocate and getting the word out about our work. We want to build a larger movement for change, and invite organizations to collaborate with us to make a difference.
I go to a lot of conferences where media is analyzed, and after sitting through a 10-20 minute slide show highlighting all of the utterly horrible media that is out there, people want to know how they can make a difference. Support progressive media and promote the alternative! Any contribution makes a difference and voices your commitment to changing the mainstream.
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Thanks for posting this interview. I have recently become a moderator for a fledgling blog/chat space for girls, and i have posted links to this article and the TeenVoices site (i hope the trackback will work - they can be a little funky). You can find my post here:
http://chicablog.wordpress.com/2007/04/21/because-youre-more-than-just-a-pretty-face/
I'm not too keen on the phrase "teen women." Most teenagers are not adults--so they're teen girls. The whole point of objecting to the use of "girl" to mean woman is recognizing that women are adults, like men. But these are people who are, mostly, not yet adults. Using "women" to refer to them blurs that distinction again, undercutting women's maturity.
That said, I'm always in favor of feminism directed at the younglings.