The following list of "cool" sites is brought to you by our two web denizens - Renee Mende and Katherine Steele. They spent hours searching the web looking for sites pertinent to the issues presented elsewhere in PlanetYouth. Sites did not make it to this list unless they were considered informative and fun.
AROUND THE WORLD
World Surfari . Learn about the food, customs, and history of people in other countries.
http://www.supersurf.com
Destination Peru. This is a totally cool site with gobs of fascinating information about Peru. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the Lonely Planet site, which provides lots of information on worldwide destinations. It is the itinerant traveler's bible.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com
Hip-Hop Journey to South Africa. Find out what some young people experienced on their recent trip to South Africa!
http://www.aclu.org/hiphop/hopindex.html
Columbia Web. Spanish speakers out there should check out this Spanish-only site focused on Columbia.
http://www.columbiaweb.com
Albanian Civil Society Foundation. Want something unusual? Check this out.
http://inet.uni-c.dk/~dialogue/acsf.htm
CONNECTIONS
Voices of Youth. A very cool place for youth to learn, solve problems, and share ideas about important world issues.
http://www.unicef.org/voy
My Pen Pal Scrapbook. Portrays the lifestyles and cultures of 16 countries through the eyes of the children who live there.
http://www.percepticon.com/penpalscrapbook
Cyberteens. This site promotes a worldwide youth community and provides an interactive place for teens to express their creativity.
http://www.cyberteens.com
B'nai B'rith Youth Organization. B'nai B'rith provides opportunities for Jewish youth to develop their leadership potential.
http://www.bnaibrith.org/blayo
DRUGS AND ADDICTIONS
Kickbutt. Anti-smoking activism. This website, in it's own words, came about to " link tobacco control groups, improve access to vital information and provide communities with the necessary tools to work for change."
http://www.kickbutt.org
Youth, Drug & Alcohol Newsletter. Canadian newsletter published by Youth Projects, Inc. of Victoria. The current issue includes information on Home Detoxification advice and instruction.
http://www.infoxchange.net.au/ydanews
THE ENVIRONMENT
World Wildlife Fund Global Network. Highly recommended cool site brought to you by the World Wildlife Fund includes environmental news, global action alerts, a monthly quiz, and an environment-friendly tip of the day.
http://www.panda.org
Student Environmental Action Coalition. Very cool site from "a grassroots coalition of student and youth environmental groups, working together to protect our planet and our future" The site includes environmental resources, a calendar of events, and other information.
http://www.seac.org
Envirolink. The largest online environmental resource on the planet. EnviroLink is a "grassroots online community that unites hundreds of organizations and volunteers around the world with millions of people in over 130 countries." If you want to get involved in helping the environment, this is THE place to start.
http://www.envirolink.com
Rainforest Action Network. Learn about saving the rainforest on this cool site. You'll find information on campaigns, demonstrations, victories and what you can do to help. You can take a rainforest quiz to find out just how much you REALLY know, and learn something in the process!
http:// www. ran.org/ran
EcoNet. This site, presented by The Institute for Global Communications is "your gateway to environmental and progressive resources worldwide. While you're here, you should also check out PeaceNet, Conflict Net, LaborNet, and Women'sNet, all accessable through this site.
http://www.econet.apc.org
Sierra Club's Student Coalition . To learn more about this activist network of thousands of young people stretching across the United States and Canada, check out the SSC site. This is a great organization, but beware - the newsletter there is not current.
http://www.ssc.org
GET INVOLVED
Do Something! Started by a group of teens, Do Something is dedicated to getting young people involved. Join them for their WebStock '96 web event in early November.
http://www.dosomething.com
People Making a Difference. An organization dedicated to bringing about change.
http://www.pmd.org
Youth Outlook - The World Through Young People's Eyes. YO! is a bi-monthly news journal of youth culture produced by young people in the San Francisco Bay Area for Pacific News Service....YO's purpose is to help young people develop a public voice and thereby a sense of connection..." This issue, read about Tupac Shakur and high school drop outs and listen to the YO! show audio presentation.
http://www.pacificnews.org/yo
ACLU Freedom Network Page. The ACLU is the nation's foremost advocate of individual rights. Learn about civil issues facing your community and what you can do to change things.
http://www.aclu.org
HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE
Amnesty International. Learn all about what's going on at Amnesty International, an organization dedicated to the international protection of human rights. Find out how you can change somebody's life forever.
http://www.amnesty.org
International Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance. At this site, presented by the Human Rights Interactive Network, you can find out how you can become a human rights advocate, read Flashpoint!, the electronic human rights journal and check out the resources for youth area
http://www.webcom.com/hrin
Fellowship of Reconciliation. Learn more about the Fellowship, which "is comprised of men and women who recognize the essential unity of all creation and have joined together to explore the power of love and truth for resolving human conflict. The site's not that hip, but if you're interested in the group, be sure to check it out!
http://www.nonviolence.org/~nvweb/for
Peace Torch '96. Peace Torch is a global peace initiative uniting peace builders around the world. Find out how YOU can participate in bringing about peace.
http://www.earthchannel.com/peace96
American Friends Service Committee. A "Quaker organization which includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service." Read about the news, resources and upcoming events of the Friends here.
http://www.afsc.org
LEADERSHIP
LEAP. Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership (LEAP) works with nearly 700 kids from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Connecticut. Find out what some kids are doing to become better citizens and lead the search for solutinns to the social problems facing America. From here, also be sure to visit the National Youth Center Network.
http://leap.yale.edu
The Leadership Institute. If you're conservative, or just want to know what makes them tick, check out this informative site from the people who train conservatives to be successful in politics. Don't miss the town hall , the most dynamic and interesting part of the site!
http://www.lcad-inst.org
POLITICS, POLICY AND GOVERNMENT
Doonesbury. Not just a cartoon, the Doonesbury political site contains a daily briefing, quote of the day, and an area dedicated to getting involved. Connect yourself with others in the chat area and take the straw poll where you can voice your opinion on the topic of the day.
http://www.doonesbury.com
YouthLink. "The voice of young America and website for the First National Youth Conventions." To learn more about the conventions or to chat with others about Youth issues.
http://www.youthlink.org
Public Affairs Web. Bringing you the best and latest information and ideas from arournd the United States concerning candidates, public issues, legislation, state and local ballot measures and public affairs professionals.
http://www.publicaffairsweb.com
International Federation of Liberal and Radical Youth. Take a look at the IFLRY Newsletter online where you can learn all about international politics and policy concerning youth and what young people are doing to become politically active. The site also includes links to member organizations including Club de la Libertad in Argentina, Mladi Mrvatski Liberali in Croatia, and Norges Unger Venstre in Norway. http://www.ftech.net/~worldlib/IFLRY_index.html
Israeli Elections 1996. Want to find out how elections work in Israel? Then this is the site for you!
http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/elc96idx.html
STUDYING/WORKING ABROAD
Study Abroad. This informative site includes links to Semester at Sea, School for International Training, international language schools, and so on.
http://www.studyabroad.com
AFS. Ok, this site is not too cool, but they do have good information. AFS is a cultural exchange program that helps students find educational and exchange opportunities abroad.
http://www.afs.org/home.htm
WISE. Worldwide Internships and Service Education. An excellent source for information about interning internationally.
http://www.pitt.edu/~wise
Youth for Understanding. YFU "is a non-profit educational organization which offers opportunities for young people around the world to spend a summer, semester or year with a host family in another country." This site will answer any questions you might have, plus you can request more information.
http://www.yfu.org
WEAPONS
Nagasaki . Learn about the use of nuclear weapons and the tragedy of Nagasaki in this artistic photographic and literary exploration of the events.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/nagasaki/mainn.html
Leo Szilard Home Page. Szilard was a physicist, biophysicist and"scientist of conscience" whose many ideas included the nuclear chan reaction. Learn more about the man and his ideas at this site.
http://www.peak.org/~danneng/szilard.html
Chemical and Biological Weapons Information Page. If you want to learn about controlling chemical and biological weapons, look at this site for basic information and links.
http://haven.ios.com/~cbaci/info.html
WOMEN
The Girl Child. This five star site (super cool!!) contains articles, exercises, bulletin boards about girls' lives around the world.
http://www.unicef.org/voy/meeting/gir
Women's International Network. "WIN creates settings for women to come together to exchange skills in political, professional, economic leadership and to foster better understanding for cross-clutural friendships."
http://www.wowwomen.com/win
FeMiNa. A comprehensive searchable directory of links to female-friendly sites and information on the web.
http://www.femina.com
Bejing '95 Women, Power & Change. This site is dedicated to women's rights issues facing China. http://www.igc.apc.org/womensnet/beijing/index.html
VoiceofWomen. "Real women, telling their stories, discussing issues, sharing hard-won wisdom."
http://www.voiceofwomen.com
ZINES - JUST FOR FUN
Splash. An interactive area to play games, make friends, and learn fun things.
http://www.splash.com
Edge. The current issue of this popular youth-centric zine includes articles about fads, messy rooms, and gender equality in education among other fun and funny topics.
http://www.jayi.com/jayi/Fishnet/Edge
