Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

Smoke‑Free or Hooked for Life? Selling Nicotine to Children and Youth (w/videos)

Big tobacco talks about a “smoke‑free future,” but its marketing tells a different story. This post gathers key videos and articles that show how major tobacco companies push vapes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco to children and youth while claiming to care about health.

Children of diverse backgrounds holding hands around Earth.

Balancing IP Rights and Children’s Right to Health

The WHO has highlighted alarming statistics. Millions of children suffer from preventable and treatable diseases, even though affordable treatment exists. Children’s right to health is recognized in several United Nations and international agreements.  The growing economic power of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and pharmaceutical giants raises new questions. Many ask whether these private, non‑state entities have an obligation to ensure children’s right to health.

Young girl with red hair in a white dress, surrounded by darkness.

Responding to Richard Wexler’s Child Neglect Imprint News Article

Richard Wexler’s Child Neglect in America article uses a Swedish child neglect study to make sweeping claims about “American child neglect and poverty,” even though childhood conditions in the two countries are radically different. In the Nordic welfare states, far fewer children live in deep poverty and families receive broad supports like child benefits, paid leave, subsidized childcare, and universal health care, while U.S. child poverty is roughly twice as high and basic needs often go unmet without thin, means‑tested programs

Children holding signs advocating for children's rights and voices.

Why Community Volunteers Are Needed in CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES

Eliminating the volunteer nature also changes the role of Guardian ad litem. Being an “outsider” provides a perspective others don’t have. It allows one to challenge the status quo and identify new opportunities. We can speak out. Eliminating volunteers, to my mind, will mean that everyone in the courtroom has a vested interest in a system that pays them to be there.”

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

Saving the MN CASA Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Program (1 easy important thing)

To save the CASA volunteer program in MN your comments need to be heard by program management. Please review the report and the rebuttal and share your views in the link above. CASAMINNESOTA’s rebuttal to the MMB report appears below.

Illustration of trauma's impact on person, family, and people, emphasizing decontextualization over time.

Closing Group Homes, Child Sex Abuse, Suicide & Costs (where you live)

KARA reports on the issues of child abuse and child protection This article submitted by Baypath University Student Lauren Begin KARA Public Service Announcement (30 seconds) KARA Signature Video (4 minute) INVISIBLE CHILDREN campus programs here Mount Pleasant officials want state regulators to close Westchester County child treatment center Officials in Mount Pleasant, New York…

Five diverse people holding rainbow pride flags and a heart symbolizing LGBTQ+ support.

Remembering Young LGBTQ Lives & Moving Interview (guest post)

How did you come to terms with your identity?

Being queer and the sexuality part wasn’t as hard for me. I always knew I liked women. The journey was then finding out who else I liked and what I didn’t like. I feel like when you first join the community, you’re not always presented with how many identities there are. I feel like a lot of people tend to come in uneducated, and I think that’s definitively how I came in. I come from a very homophobic town, so we didn’t have that many people that were out. I didn’t know much. I started identifying as queer because I’m still not sure. My gender identity took a lot longer…