new magazine for teens

[chixmag]

I am a student at San Francisco State university and I am creating a magazine for teen girls with Type 1 Diabetes for my senior thesis project. My sister was diagnosed when she was 5 and now that she's 13, things are getting more difficult. I decided that a magazine aimed specifically at teen girls with diabetes might be helpful. It is going to be almost like a fashion magazine covering issues like eating disorders to politics but in a way that is interesting and accessable. It will also include less serious issues like creative ways to wear a pump, since I know it can really be a struggle to wear a pump fashionably! I would like it to be comprised of contributions from diabetic teens, giving them a forum to discuss issues with eachother, and special place to show their art, writing, and whatever they would like to share. If you are, or know a teenage girl with diabetes, I would love any kind of input on the subject. Ideas, or if you'd like to be invloved. Eventually I would like to get this published.
Let me know what you think!

[jdrf team dm]

dear chixmag,

While I am a mom with an adult son with type 1 diabetes, diagnosed at eight, I think this is a great idea. What a wonderful thing you are doing for your sister and all of the teen girls dealing with this disease. There are so many possible issues that should be covered and this kind of positive support is something that will be well recieved and helpful. I checked out your website and was very impressed. I can't wait to see it's progression. I am sure you will be seeing many response's from the teens (and adults) from JDRF.
Please keep in touch. Congratulations!
dm

[chixmag]

everyone check out my website in progress, it's chixmag.com
it's very rough and the layout and everything is temporary, but check back for updates! I's also love input on the design,
thanks

[galzee]

I cannot wait to pass this on to my teenage daughter so that she can help you out!  I am sure that she'll have other input from her friends with diabetes - there are 7 other kids in her junior class that have diabetes and she's met many others at diabetes camp that will be sending along their input too!  What a terrific idea...they really need each other...thank you for making a new connection for them!

[Isobel]

My 13-yr-old daughter Kristal was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on 27 January 2004.  We live in Canberra, Australia. And we think your idea is good!

Kristal thinks that there should be something like a "forum" for people who don't have access to the internet and a page where readers can send in poems, pictures, etc... She'd also like to see recipes (main meals and healthy snacks - "normal" ones and hypo ideas) and ideas for medic-alert bracelets (eg making the bracelet yourself, and attaching the medic-alert to it), how to educate your friends about diabetes (including ideas like inviting the friends over to your house so that they can see how it fits into your life), how to educate your teachers about diabetes, how to explain to other people the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes...

I would rather not display either hers or my email address on this site, so could you please post your email address?

Thanks

Isobel
  

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Chixmag,
Your sister has a terrific sister!  ;-)

Good for you.  Perhaps you can team up with another student and create a magazine that opens from both sides (y'know the kind you flip over), one "way" of reading it can be for the girls and the other "way" can be for the guys.

You just KNOW they'll both read both sides ;-)

OTOH, a cyber-magazine might be much less expensive to get going...

I was diagnosed as a teen and am now, 35 years later, I'm still a happy & healthy adult woman whose enjoyed every aspect of a good life ... career, family, travel, culture.  Lousy at sports, but I enjoy the fun of trying.  I did find trouble during teen & college years and somehow also found the support & courage to get myself moving forward.  A magazine like you propose could do tremendous good for many many teens.

[gman2004]

something i think will be good, for a chick magasine, or a guy magasine, that deals with diabeties.

is how to tell your girlfriend, or boyfriend, that u have to tkae needels daily, and tell them what to do, if u become low.

I found it hard to break it to my girlfriend, she took it well, and is very supportive, but im sure alot of diabetics are afraid of what there partner will think of them having to take needels

[chixmag]

Thanks for the input everyone. Also thank you for the offer for layout help, but I'm actually a graphic design major and this is my final design project so I think I have that area covered! I appreciate all the suggestions, I wish I could make it for guys too but I only have a little over a month to finish it so the first issues will just be for girls due to time constraints. I hope to continue this even after I graduate this semester so hopefully I will have a chance to expand it, and start a corresponding web site. Thanks again!

[JDRF Team SGG]

I am a graphic artist/illustrator, and may be able to help with visuals (masthead or illustrations) if you get to the point that you need stuff like that. Or layout advice, etc. Just yell if you need help.

[JDRF Team SGG]

I have to agree with gman's comment... guys need this sort of support, too. Maybe your mission needs to expand. :oD

[gman2004]

thats actully a pretty cool idea

tho it should be directed to us guys too :P

[JDRF-Team-sgg]

I am a female who was diagnosed at age 12. I am now in my middle years, and I think something like this could be a great support for teen girls. I would suggest that you go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation web site (www.jdrf.org) and send an e-mail through the "newly diagnosed" link. State what you have stated here, and that you would like to hear from some other teens, for there are some cyber-volunteers who answer these questions who are amazing teens. One of them may be able to put you in contact with others. You may need to be sensitive to the fact that young teens will have security issues -- you may need to make your e-mail address available to them so that they can contact you rather than having you do the contacting. But a person involved with JDRF in a teen outreach situation may be able to pass your information along to others in case they wish to contact you.

You could also contact the JDRF website if you want some input from folks like myself who live happily and have come to terms with life as diabetic women. I could see some teens being encouraged by hearing about women who have married and had children, women who have managed successful careers, etc. with diabetes or been active in sports.