Whether they have questions about the physical changes happening to their bodies or need advice on how to juggle homework and after-school sports, kids from all over the world turn to PAMF's teen and preteen Web sites for information and support. What makes these Web sites unique is that the content is written for kids by kids. This summer, several local teens, ranging in age from 13 to 17, spent their vacations developing articles and other content for the sites they feel other kids would find interesting and helpful.

The Web site writers are part of a group called SODAH (Summer Opportunities for Developing Adolescent Health). The SODAH kids – who are supervised by Nancy Brown, Ph.D., health education projects manager at PAMF, and three 19- and 20-year-old college writers – choose the content they want to write about, research the topic, and talk to PAMF doctors and other health experts who might lend expertise to the chosen topic. This summer, the SODAH kids chose to expand the Web sites' sports injuries and nutrition information.

"I really wanted to work on writing about common sports injuries because I felt the teen site really lacked a section about highly intensive and competitive sports for teens," said Katie Howard, a SODAH member and local high school student. "I recently tore my ACL and meniscus playing soccer, and I wanted to help other teens know more about the injury, as well as prevention tips and techniques."

In addition to writing articles based on their own interests, the SODAH kids create content based on the interests and questions of the sites' readers. For example, Katie Ransohoff, a sophomore at Harvard University, wrote a retrospective article about going off to college after many students submitted questions on the teen site about packing and getting ready for the transition to college.

The teen site also contains information about building healthy relationships, drugs and alcohol, depression, stress, and much more. Meanwhile, the preteen site covers topics for younger kids, such as puberty, hygiene, friendships and basic health issues, from nail fungus to the flu.

"The most valuable thing about the Web sites is the teen-produced content, accurate information and feedback-driven content," said Julia Ransohoff, who along with her sister Katie, has been writing for the preteen and teen sites for several years. "There needs to be a balance between authoritative source and an accessible tone, which is why the PAMF sites now represent the ideal model of teen-written and doctor-reviewed content."

Fellow teen writer Madison Brown-Moffitt agreed. "The sites give kids reliable information that they can use, which is better than the word-of-mouth and gossip information that is everywhere."

Visit the PAMF’s teen Web site, "We're Talking," at www.pamf.org/teen, and the preteen Web site, "We're Talking, Too!," at www.pamf.org/preteen. Students interested in writing for the teen or preteen Web sites should contact Nancy Brown, Ph.D., at brownn@pamfri.org.