Once you’re on the site you can read personal stories written by teens about their experiences with acne, anxiety, dating, driving, food allergies, being adopted, and dealing with the death of a friend or family member.  You can also write and submit your own personal story – if your story is published on the website you’ll receive a letter of commendation and a $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. 

“Every person interprets the world, through his or her body and brain, in his or her own way. Yet, there are certain things that we can say about the way teens, in general, experience life that we can’t say about small children or the elderly. In other words, teens walk a different walk than the rest of the world. They—you—see things differently from the rest of us. You interpret things—facial expressions, sounds, anger, and even time—in a way that is all but foreign to those who aren’t teens. You sleep differently. You make decisions differently. You act differently. You are different, and it is because you are a teenager. It also has a lot to do with your brain.

What do we mean when we ask, “How does the teen brain work?” More accurately, we might ask, “What is the way in which the teen brain interprets the world and then causes the teen body to act upon those interpretations?” In a general sense, the answers to these questions have been called teen brain syndrome. It sounds downright nasty, doesn’t it? But if you think about it (with your brain) for a little while, it may not be as far off the mark as it seems.” (Wilson, 2011)