Everyone knows I love teenagers. I love their enthusiasm, their creativity, their optimism, their faith. I feel defensive when people insult them as a group and try to help parents understand them a bit better.
For the past few months, I’ve been pouring much of my heart, energy and more free time than I actually have into a website/online magazine for/by/about LDS girls– RubyGirl.org — a place where we hope to gather girls from all over the world to exchange ideas, discuss problems, share faith and feel a little less alone.
Last fall, of our Segullah staffers, Melonie Cannon had a dream where her deceased great-aunt told her we needed to start a ‘Segullah for our girls.’ After a group discussion, I was given the job/challenge to head up the effort. I was excited, but a little unsure… The very next day, I saw former General Young Women’s President Elaine Dalton at the mall waiting for her phone to get fixed. She was clearly bored. And if you know Elaine Dalton, she’s never bored. So I sat down and told her all about RubyGirl.org, our hopes and dreams, plots and plans. Unequivocally, she told me to make this site happen.
Since then, I’ve been building a site (and then had darling web designer Emilie Knecht jump in to rescue me) recruiting staff and solving 501 problems.And today, we’re throwing open the doors with a video interview with Elaine Dalton.
We still need all kinds of help with writing, photography, book/movie reviews, videos, Snapchat, a writing workshop and more. I’d especially love to recruit more teenage writers/artists. This isn’t just a site for girls but also by them and about them. So far, I’ve been guessing and talking to the girls I know, but I’d love feedback from a much wider group.
Please visit the site, take a look around and let me know your thoughts.
Handsfullmom
It looks awesome! You should be very proud.
jen
given your talent for writing, raising kids, and relating to others, i’m excited to see how this goes!
Heather arnita
This looks awesome. I woukd love to learn more about contributing. My daughter just turned 13 and I love this idea. I am a photographer and would love to help our any way I can.
Amara
When I saw you started this site, I was struck by the similarity in the name to a little online magazine my niece and her friend just recently started. They are college aged, but I wonder if it might work to have them collaborate. Their site is http://beyondrubiesmagazine.com
I will leave a comment there too and hopefully you guys can work together a bit.
mlehnardt8@msn.com
I would love to work with them! Thanks!