Author, speaker, consultant and media expert, Sarah’s expertise is working with gifted and talented young people who have the capacity to become high achievers.  She has an ability to raise expectations and aspirations of all young people she comes into contact with.  Sarah Newton has shared her wisdom with millions who have tuned into her TV and radio shows, followed her writing and listened to her thought-provoking talks.

Hailed as ”The Supernanny for Teens” by TV Times Sarah has worked in this field now for over 19 years of her life. Sarah is also the founder of Talented Teens, Teenage Dr Love and the editor and creator of Celebrity Parent Advice. Sarah is also leading the way forward in personality led parenting and youth coaching.

What set you along this life path, working with teens?

I worked with young offenders and children at risk of offending for 10 years as a police officer in London. When one of the young people I worked with took their own life, it made me think there had to be a different way to deal with youth and I started on the track I am on nowadays.

A catch phrase when speaking about trolling (online bullying) is, “You can’t troll a troll”, which boils down to an eye for an eye. As a global community, how do you suggest young adults approach trolling?

As a global community, I think we need to see “trolling” as a crime and label it as such. If you said these things in public they would be, so why is it different on-line? I think all social networks should stop anonymous accounts and be on top of this more than they are.

Young adults themselves need to think more before they start these accounts and turn comments off on YouTube, for example if it upsets them too much, then have some else manage their account so they can field some of the offensive comments. I see so many young people engage with the trolls and this only puts fuel to the fire. Never answer anonymous comments on Ask FM, etc. It really isn’t worth it. Always think what a potential college/employer might think if they saw your comments back to these people. A girl in the UK has just had to pull out of a very prestigious job because of comments she made on twitter 4 years earlier. Be careful what you write; it may come back to bite you.

In your opinion do parents place too much emphasis on the academic achievements of their young adults rather than their hobbies or personal life goals?

In my opinion No they don’t. While I recognise the importance of hobbies and life goals, I also know that education is the key to opening doors and I believe that we should always have high expectations for our children when it comes to education. I have never heard an adult saying they wished that they had tried less at school.

Do you believe in the generation gap, and how much of an issue do you think it plays in the effective communication between young adults and their parents?

I think the gap has gone and we have more of a generation lap now, with young people lapping their parents in their knowledge of such important thing such as the Internet. A lot of the study results coming out about this are showing that parents and young adults are becoming closer than ever, with young people looking to their parents more than ever before for advice and guidance and most of them citing parents as role models. I think young people will always feel misunderstood; I think that is the nature of things, but I feel communication is better and different than it was when I was a teenager.

What can young adults gain from visiting your website www.sarahnewton.com?

They will find someone who understands them, the world they live in and offers different perspectives to the adults in their lives.

The majority of my site is aimed at parents and adults who work with youth, however one of my projects, Talented Teens, http://sarahnewton.com/talented-teens/ shares inspirational stories and advice about young people for young people and we do have a very cool little gadget which allows young people to discover their talent. You can find it in the left hand column on this page http://sarahnewton.com/c/blog/

I think my taste in music is contagious. My daughter (who is a self-confessed Japan-o-holic) now enjoys sitting down with me to watch Pop Asia.  We have a giggle over some of the dance sequences and we still snicker over the thought of Girls Generation having ‘a boy chicken’ in their song ‘I got a boy’. (At least that’s what it sounds like they’re saying)

Lets make a long story short, today we’re heading to Taiwan.

To kick things off I give you an oldie but a goodie from F.I.R called Fly Away. This video reminds me of the style many Music Videos took on in the 1990′s and a this one has a sound to match. Careful of the gunshots sounding at the beginning, they’re a tad loud.

I find humour very appealing when life is getting a little too serious, so this number from Jay Chou fits the build. Gong Gong With a Headache… Yup that’s the name of the song. The ‘lady’ in the bath, yikes!

Where’s the girl group I can hear you all demanding… So how about the band S.H.E with their girl power song called Shero. Who needs to wait for a hero when you can save yourself? I agree ladies. Nice touches of gold glitter, diamonds and computer graphics. This may be from 2010, but it stands the test of time. Makes me want to pump my fist in the air and spell words in a loud, cranky voice.

These last two are from the same guy, Wang Lee Hom. Two totally different offerings and yet they’re both pretty cool. From 2010′ish comes Bo Ya Cuts the Strings

This has the best Gu-Zheng solo EVER!

Then we have the most recent song to be released by this philanthropic guy, and this one got my attention because it has a guest appearance by none other than Jackie Chan. I dare you to sit still while watching 12 Zodiacs. Oooooweeeeee!

Lauren Galley, Teen Mentor, Actress, Model and President of Girls Above Society transitioned from her high school AP program to college at age 16 embarking on a journey driven to create an anchor of empowerment for teen girls. Launching (at age 17) Girls Above Society gives Lauren the platform of teen to teen mentor-ship combined with film visuals creating a social media movement.

As a voice to young teen girls, Lauren has been heard on Fox News, Best Ever You Radio, and as a Co-Host on the UK Radio Show “Tabloid Talk”. Her writing has appeared in International Talent Magazine, Babble, Talented Teens, Living Intentionally, and THINK covering issues of the many pressures young teens are facing in today’s society.

Lauren has recently been named Chief Teen Mentor for Best Ever Teens Website, a development of the Best Ever You Network. As an actress Lauren has also been seen on ABC Family’s “The Lying Game” and National Commercials such as FOX Sports and Jarritos. To book Lauren for a speaking engagement or a “Girl Talk” contact: girlsabovesociety@att.net

Belinda: This afternoon I finished watching the documentary Bully. It focused on the failure of ‘the system’ when it comes to bullying, teen violence and verbal abuse. It barely touched upon the damage that exclusion can have on a person. Girls in particular use exclusion as a way to show dominance and status in the school yard. What message would you have for anyone being excluded, and to someone who witnesses someone else being excluded from a social situation?

Lauren: Being excluded can leave girls with many negative feelings.  A Clique of girls will exclude others to show dominance, importance, and the desire to be exclusive psychologically makes one think it must be an amazing group, there’s only a few, so I want to be a part of it.  Girls being excluded are left with the feeling “I’m not good enough”.  They feel they don’t measure up due to the fact they aren’t pretty enough, popular enough, etc…  Girls who put themselves in cliques are full of insecurities and feel the need to “create” a world in which they are special. I remind girls to surround themselves with friends who have the same interests, morals, and values. That clique of popular girls might seem like the best thing ever, but if you really watch and observe, they have closed themselves to so many great, talented, smart girls they will never have the chance to get to know because they are basing their group on popularity and looks.  Those Popular girls won’t be popular after that school term and everyone moves on…. Observing someone being excluded would be my cue to go meet that person. Chances are they are the type of person I would want to be friends with!! My friends don’t judge me for my looks, or popularity and I’m very grateful for that ~ I’m not the popular girl and I feel like I have so much more than any girl in a clique!!

Belinda: Cameron Russell made fantastic points in her October 2012 TED talk called Looks aren’t everything. Believe me I’m a model. Do you think the message would have had as much impact if it were presented by a ‘nobody’ in society, and why do you think society is less tolerant of people who are physically ‘different’?

Lauren: The message Cameron gave was received with great impact because of who she is and how she looks. A “nobody” wouldn’t have a chance to drive home this message. We live in a super-driven media society 24/7, that has the power of trending what is “perfect”. Branding a product is now driven by women and men who exemplify the look of perfection. Sex sells … A perfectly normal size 10 girl will never sell a swimsuit because she is not considered sexy enough. Magazine covers, commercials, billboards, and Celebrity News all scream “This is Beautiful!” People are more and more defined by what they look like, not who they are and what they represent. Being physically different in today’s society means you aren’t good enough. My message to teen girls is similar to Cameron’s ~ BU. There’s No One Else Like It”.

Belinda: There is a trend on YouTube of young girls (and boys) asking the global community via their videos to tell them if they’re beautiful or dateable. What do you think are the biggest dangers with a trend such as this?

Lauren: This trend is an attention getting monster! After the girls (and boys) put up the video, they will then obsess over how many likes, comments, etc … they get. Receiving no comments will then cause further low self esteem (that’s why they put it up in the first place, right? They are wondering if they really do look good) which can lead to depression, self-harm, and many times suicide. This simple video has such a negative impact that comes full circle. The girls who get many likes and comments will then feel being sexy is a way to get boys attention, which can lead to being pressured to engage in activities they normally wouldn’t. They put up the video. The guys like it. Now what? This attention-getting idea is defining who they are by what they look like on the outside, not who they are on the inside.

Belinda: How can people get on board with your organization Girls above Society?

Lauren: My ultimate goal for Girls Above Society is to have girls all over the world giving “Girl Talks”. I have a blog and would love for teen girls to send me their stories and/or thoughts on how today’s media-driven society affects them. My monthly Magazine “Girl Power” features a Girl of the Month. I’m always looking for that great role model to feature. Sending in your stories could get you featured in the magazine. I really love communicating with teens today so follow me on Twitter @LaurenMGalley and connect with me through www.girlsabovesociety.org You can purchase a Girls Above Society bracelet for $1.00 with all proceeds going towards “Girl Talks”.

Autumn is upon us in Australia. Which means it’s almost time for the butterflies to head to warmer places. Not that we’ve seen too many in the last 6 weeks due to rain, rain and more freaking rain.

As for the Northern hemisphere people, Spring is gearing up to bloom soon. So I figure we should have a bit of a celebration of all things butterfly.

Here is KlairedelysArt with a Butterfly Queen eye shadow tutorial that is just precious.

cutenails will send our hearts a flutter with this nail art tutorial

MyCupcakeaddiction helps us out with an extremely simple butterfly cupcake decorating tutorial

Leyla Torres got me in a flap looking for pink origami paper after watching how to fold a Swallowtail Butterfly… So pretty.

I hope you like the tutorials but I thought I’d leave you with a small clip of a Queens Alexandra Birdwing. Thanks to EarthRangersBBtW for this lovely piece of footage.

Oh and because the boy threw it out the window.

My search for feeding my insatiable appetite for pop music, some may find a little questionable, has continued. I’m loving the vast array of variables that can make a musical hit (in my eyes anyway).

Today we’re heading to Japan!

Do you consider fan dancing to be a rock ‘n’ roll thing? Passpo has definitely got the hard rock sound in their song Natsuzora Hanabi. What could be more rockstar than jumping in a pool fully clothed, throwing suitcases and wearing studded collars, and the fan dancing, don’t forget the fan dancing.

For fans (not the dancing sort) of Anime, you may recognise this slightly older song by ON/OFF called Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi, as it was the theme song from season one of Vampire Knight

I can’t say I’ve sat down to watch an episode of the show, but I am assuming the red wool and the chains mean something? I sometimes like a little grungy metal in my playlist and Reason for Treason by Diaura

fits the bill. Two tone mullets, and growling. Not to mention a very Garbage-esk (Shirley Manson etc not refuse) distorted effects to the clip add to the rebellious feel. Now if only I could understand what was being said…

Spending all my Time by Perfume

is an ear worm of the worst sort. It comes with hand dancing. See how long it takes you to get the moves down. This makes my dag dance look dated. I do love the little corset things on the dresses when they’re in front of the door. As for the socks with the high heels… that’s up to you to decide.

This one is called Candy Candy

by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. She began her career as a model for Harajuku fashion magazines such as Kera! The interesting fashion sense of the culture comes through in this clip, and can anyone tell me the significance of the onion?

Pop corny! #1

I’m a child of the 80′s which means my musical tastes run heavily from the 1990′s. The latest stuff from the music industry hasn’t really had me bolting to the radio. If anything the majority of new music has been making me long for some Hanson, of all things (My Friday Ketchup co host tells me constantly I need help for my lack of musical taste!). I have been starved for a good pop group, since nobody does pop music like Savage Garden.

Until… I stumbled upon a music program on SBS which reminded me of RAGE (a program that is no longer the place to get all your musical needs in one hit). However, in my then migraine-addled state, I thought I was missing something; I couldn’t understand a thing anyone was singing about.

Checking the TV guide once said migraine had passed I discovered the reason for the confusion. The program was called Pop Asia and let me tell you, my musical tastes and I are happy as pigs in mud.

I’ve only had time to catch a few episodes and I want to share some of the best clips I’ve seen so far.

Today we head to Korea

I am in love with the cinematography, concepts and costuming for the Seoul based band, Big Bang and their clip Fantastic Baby. Guys on thrones with looooong red hair… yes please!

How about a little dance and Adam Labert-ish vocals… TVXQ, a duo from South Korea, covered almost all the bases with an industrial type soundtrack, an almost identical vocal style as Adam Lambert (who I LOOOOVE) and topped of with an awesomely choreographed dance sequence… Can you see the snake?

Got a hankering for Duffy, but don’t know the words? (Don’t worry neither do I) How about trying a cover version of Mercy called Dancing Queen by Girls Generation. You get the retro sound and a bit of weird dancing with cute fashions. Best of all you get that great tune, and new lyrics.

And last but certainly not least is Mine by Kim Jaejoong. This clip gives me goosebumps. Again with the Adam Lambert glam rock sound, but the production value of slow motion vision and a set of fangs never fails to send me to my happy place. It would not surprise me if this song ends up on the soundtrack to one of the many book to movie adaptations in the near future. It can almost tell a story all by itself. This clip has the English translations.

I’d love to hear what bands from the Asian region have hit your radar.

“Looks aren’t everything. Believe me, I’m a model.” Cameron Russell talks on ted.com

If you have a spare 9 minutes and 40 seconds after reading this, I’d love for you to watch a amazing, thought-provoking clip from ted.com

How big a role does beauty play in your day to day life? Do you take that extra 5 minutes to put make up on before skipping a healthy breakfast, so you can run to the bus, to try and shift a kilogram or two off your thighs, that would look so much better in that particular pair of jeans? ~Hold on let me take a breath after that one.~

Cameron Russell has been a model for 10 years, and in 10 seconds she changed the perception of her audience by putting on a longer skirt and a jumper over her short, designer, skin tight dress. She also ditched the 8 inch heels and came down to a more reasonable level. She went from a ‘supermodel’ to a ‘regular woman’ within moments, creating a more approachable, and arguably, more believable persona just by the way she looked.

It takes a genetic lottery, a few centuries of unfair biased opinions of what is considered ‘beautiful’ and a team of experts to make the constructed, glamorous, glossy pictures and runway shows we see in our day to day lives. Those ones that we aspire to emulate, even though it is considered unobtainable to a large percentage of the population.

So if you are not rail thin, if you have darker skin, or are around 5 foot tall, if you’re teeth aren’t gleaming and perfect … on the whole, honestly according to those same glossy magazines, society should look elsewhere to find a person of value?

How vain, how rude and how superficial.
But aren’t we all feeding this monster every day? So aren’t we all to blame?

I challenge you to make a conscious choice to not judge someone by the way they look, or even judging yourself by your appearance. For just one day, look a little deeper and don’t take things at face value.

As Cameron points out, ‘Being fearless means being honest.’ Do you honestly want to be defined by the society who believes the unfair statement, that “Beauty is Everything”? Or do you want to be the catalyst for not allowing this statement to define you?

I’ll get off my soap box now. Good job Cameron!

What’s in a Keek?

I was told I was living in the technological dark ages by my, recently turned 60, father, last week. I laughed it off, because I think it’s hilarious that my dad knows more about modern technology than I do.

What he actually said was “I sent a picture of my birthday cake to your phone.” To which I had to tell him my phone only did text messaging and phone calls. His answer was “Well what’s the point in that.” See, technological dark ages.

I guess if I were to go the ‘smart’ phone path, I’d be a little intrigued by some of the strange things people do with them. Things that have little to do with actually making a phone call.

Like Tweeting. Up until a couple of years ago this was something cute little birds did at 5am to drive you up the wall, letting the world know that the sun is rising. It is now a way for politicians to lose voters, pop stars to snipe at each other and for book lovers to brag about their latest acquisition.

The restrictions on tweeting (I do the tweets for the burn bright book club from my computer) are a mystery to me. How can one person possibly spark such an uproar in 140 characters? What would happen if we were allowed, say, 200 characters; would that be enough to create world war 3?

Apps or applications are a screaming hit. Angry birds, fruit ninja and whatever else is hot right now is right at your finger tips to keep little kiddies occupied.

Then there’s the whole FaceBook from anywhere idea. I will admit I am extremely addicted to FB. After fighting it for so long, the thought of being able to access it even when I’m out in public, scares me a little. I would be mostly concerned with the privacy settings as some people on my friends list end up having their location posted when they go out in public. Which to me screams… HEY I’M NOT HOME! ROB ME! See, I may be a little paranoid. But just because I can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not out to get me.

Youtube is filled with people making videos from their ‘smart’ phones. School children fighting, how make-up lasts through a normal day, and just generally random silliness caught on camera and uploaded for the world to see.

But finally there is the joy that is Keek. This concept as a viewer is cute, as a contributor, the thought of only having 36 seconds to get a point across seems impossible to me. But people do it. The woman who has me going back to keek regularly lately is the youtube sensation katers17 http://www.keek.com/Katers17 She’s a British chick in California working and living with her boyfriend who is also a rather famous YouTuber. Unlike so many other keekers (is that even a word yet) she goes out of her way to keep things cheery and light. We all need a little of that every once in a while. And quite frankly 36 seconds sure is the epitome of little.

While I can still remember a time when you either used a phone box, or you waited until you got home to call someone, this whole idea of being connected to everybody every hour of every day both excites and exhausts me.

What’s your favourite thing to do on your ‘smart’ phone?

Pop culture is so fun, and Supanova is just around the corner – so you need to get your thinking caps on. Costuming and make-up allows us to transform ourselves into an alter ego not unlike super heroes and villains. Here are a few nice ones I’ve found on YouTube.

Wonder Woman by Charismaster

Cat Woman by Cora at Vintage or tacky

Jessica Harlow’s Poison Ivy

Don’t forget to share pics if you decide to try any of these looks out.

Best books of 2012

Throne of Glass – Sarah J Mass

Falling to Ash – Karen Mahoney

God Save the Queen – Kate Locke

Besieged - Rowena Corey Daniels

Shine Light – Marianne de Pierres

Most Anticipated for 2013

Spirit – Brigid Kemmerer

Mystic – Alyson Noel

The Queen is Dead – Kate Locke

Hot Blooded – Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Last Blood – Kristen Painter

Books that were and are are to be released at the end of 2012 that I am itching to read but don’t fit into either of the other 2 lists

Undeadly – MicheleVail

Speed of Light – Amber Kizer

Darkness Hunts – Keri Arthur

Days of Blood and Starlight – Laini Taylor

Small Shen – Kylie Chan