HERO, beinggirl.com, and CosmoGIRL! on a Nationwide Search for Teen Youth Ambassadors

NEW YORK, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Nations Association of the USA's HERO Campaign has teamed up with beinggirl.com, the P&G web site created by teen girls for teen girls, and CosmoGIRL! magazine to launch a nationwide search for 20 teens to serve as HERO Youth Ambassadors. The selected teens will spend a month this summer in HIV/AIDS affected communities in Africa volunteering in HERO-sponsored schools and experiencing first-hand what it means to be a global citizen.

HERO is an awareness building and fundraising initiative dedicated to providing comprehensive, school-based support to orphans and vulnerable children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Africa. Along with its in-country partners, HERO provides each school with a comprehensive "HERO Package" that includes feeding programs, classrooms (repair and construction), toilets, clean water, visiting nurses, counselors, books and other school resources.

"Our goal for the Youth Ambassador program is for teens to understand their role and responsibility in the global community and understand how they can really make an impact," said Gabrielle Armand, HERO Marketing Director. "Now, with the help of beinggirl.com and CosmoGIRL! we are excited to bring this opportunity to teenagers across the country."

Teens will be selected to become Youth Ambassadors by completing an online application at beinggirl.com/hero, which includes a 300 word essay and the submission of two letters of recommendation. Once selected, the 20 Youth Ambassadors will be responsible for fundraising to cover the expenses of their trip, and in July they will spend one month in South Africa and Namibia actively involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The Youth Ambassadors will participate in building classrooms, constructing fences, installing kitchens (for in-school feeding programs), painting existing school structures and engaging in classroom and recreational activities -- all of which are integral in creating an infrastructure desperately needed to start combating the basic problems created by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

"Beinggirl.com and its founding brands, Always and Tampax, believe that these 20 Youth Ambassadors will serve as examples of how teens can be an instrument of change both globally and in their own communities," said Michelle Vaeth, Communications Director for P&G FemCare.

In recent weeks, the U.S. has committed to historic levels of funding for HIV/AIDS relief, which includes $724 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and $2.9 billion for the 15 focus countries which are part of President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). As a result of the heightened awareness amongst policy makers, the country's populace -- including teens -- has become more attuned to this global issue. The Youth Ambassador program is the first nationwide public/private program of its' kind and goes one step beyond traditional consumer advocacy by putting the idea of global responsibility for teens into real action.

Our readers are always looking for new opportunities to make a positive impact on the world," said Susan Schulz, Editor-in-Chief of CosmoGIRL! "We're excited to be a part of a groundbreaking program that will allow American teenagers to engage in a cultural exchange with African students, helping to build a relationship that will benefit future generations of both Africa and America."

Log on to beinggirl.com/hero to learn more about the 2007 HERO Youth Ambassador program, find out how to enter the nationwide search, as well as learn more about the global mission of HERO, beinggirl.com and CosmoGIRL!

About HERO: A UNA-USA Campaign:

HERO: A UNA-USA campaign (http://www.heroaction.org/), in partnership with USAID (http://www.usaid.gov/), is an awareness building and fundraising initiative dedicated to providing comprehensive, school-based support to orphans and vulnerable children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Africa. HERO, along with its in-country partners, works with schools in Namibia, South Africa, Ethiopia and Zambia to provide each school with a comprehensive "HERO Package" that includes feeding programs, classrooms (repair and construction), toilets, clean water, visiting nurses, counselors, books and other school resources.

About The United Nations Association of the USA:

The United Nations Association of the USA is a center for innovative programs to engage Americans in issues of global concern, from education and HIV/AIDS to peace, security and international law. Its educational and humanitarian campaigns, including teaching students in urban schools, clearing minefields and providing school-based support for children living in HIV/AIDS- affected communities in Africa, allow people to make a global impact at the local level. A not-for-profit organization, UNA-USA encourages United States leadership in the United Nations and is a part of the World Federation of United Nations Associations.

About beinggirl.com

beinggirl.com was originally launched in July of 2000 with the goal of providing a forum for girls to explore their collective interests and receive guidance in choosing the right feminine protection products provided by Tampax and Always at the very start of their cycles. The site has consistently involved health care experts and teens themselves to create an environment encouraging active participation and the desire to return. beinggirl.com worked closely with a teen advisory board to develop fresh, cutting-edge interactive features, including games and downloads, that today's teens demand, such as the advice section "Ask Iris," which receives more than 3,000 questions each week. In addition, the site's 500,000+ monthly visitors can access the hundreds of articles covering health and puberty topics that provide the site's educational foundation. beinggirl.com was recognized as the Best Online Community Website in the 2005 WebAward Competition.

About P&G (NYSE: PG)

Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R). Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella, Gillette(R), and Braun. The P&G community consists of almost 140,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About CosmoGIRL!

CosmoGIRL! empowers and inspires young women to be leaders in all aspects of their lives. From setting the latest trends to standing up for what they believe in, our readers were Born To Lead. CosmoGIRL! publishes ten issues annually, CosmoGIRL! Prom, and its online counterpart is www.cosmogirl.com, offering Web-savvy readers more opportunities than ever before to interact with the magazine. The magazine is published by Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) and one of the world's largest publishers of monthly magazines, with a total of 19 U.S. titles and nearly 200 international editions. Hearst reaches more adults than any other publisher of monthly magazines (73.4 million according to MRI, fall 2006). The company also publishes 19 magazines in the United Kingdom through its wholly owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited.