ELECTION 2008: WILL YOUR VOTE COUNT?

Oprah for President

Seeing Beyond Ourselves
Race and gender shouldn't be the focus of the presidential election

Young Voters: This Is Our Moment

Don’t Let the Rumors Win
Smart voters don't believe everything they read or hear

Barbershop Debates: A Rite of Passage

PLUS

American at Heart—But Not on Paper

Path to Citizenship
How can undocumented residents obtain legal stutus in the U.S.?

Dream Girl
Our childhood romance was more than puppy love

Habla Español o Francais ou Arabe?
Learning a foreign language is more important than you think

MOVIE REVIEW

Does Under the Same Moon Paint Too Sunny a Picture?

LIFE AFTER LOSS

In An Octopus’s Garden
My father and I found a lasting bond in music

How to Cope With Life’s Losses

Becoming the Man My Dad Couldn’t Be

Boyfriend Behind Bars

The Home I Can’t Forget
I left my heart on the Lower East Side

Watching From the Sidelines
An injury put my running dreams on hold

A World Away From Her
I feel like I left my grandmother when she needed me most

PLUS

Teens Demand More Summer Jobs
93,000 teens apply—why can’t the City fund more than 42,000 jobs?

Imaginations Run Wild in Be Kind Rewind

Making Our Own Movie From Scratch

Contest Winners Write a letter to your parents telling them what’s going on in your life that they should know about—but don’t.

FINDING OUR CONFIDENCE

Clearing Up My Acne—and My Self-Esteem

From Tomboy to Boy Magnet
My sister taught me to be choosy about boys

Standing Up for the Jena 6
Rallying for justice sparked the activist in me

My Life as a Long Hair

Does Feeling Unpopular Make Girls Fat?

Breathing Easier
I won’t let my asthma anxiety rule my life anymore
Plus: What Is Asthma?

Skinniest Man in the Graveyard
My eating disorder put me at more risk than I realized

FAR FROM HOME: LIFE IN FOSTER CARE

Skyscraper of Trust
My foster mom and I built our relationship brick by brick

Rewriting the Script
I found a way to turn a bad foster care situation around

Finding Our Way Home
It was hard to reconnect with my mom

From Ashley to Angel
I like the person I've become since living away from my mom

What Is Foster Care?

PLUS

Breaking Down the Grade
NYC teens weigh in on school 'progress reports'

‘Move Along’
Has police security gotten too tough at high schools?

WASTED: UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS

Why Are Parents Clueless About Drugs?

Hooked on Heroin
I loved being high, but I couldn’t control it

A Fine Line
When does experimentation with legal drugs become addiction?

What Drugs Do To You

Where to Find Help for a Drug Problem

How to Help a Friend Who's Using

WHEN A PARENT IS ADDICTED

'I Think These Drugs Are Daddy's'
My father's an addict but I won't give up on him

Something You Can't Fix
What you should know if your parent has a substance abuse problem

PLUS:

Mixed and Proud
I love belonging to more than one culture

Almost One of the Gang
Most of my friends are Crips, but I've chosen not to join

Prisoners in Our Schools
Why are kids treated like criminals while trying to get an education?

Special Feature:

'Single and Lovin' It' Listen to Latrice read her story (abridged) 1:39 Read the full story

ARE WE DATING?

Get In, Get Money, Get Out
After hustling boyfriends for money, I never thought I’d get played

Ignoring the Stares
My boyfriend and I refuse to let race be an issue in our relationship

More Than Friends With Benefits
My girlfriend and I had to define what we wanted from our relationship

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places
Where I finally met a boy who treats me right

Why Can't Boys and Girls Be Friends?

DATING ABUSE

My Abusive Boyfriend

What Is Dating Abuse?

TEENS AND MUSIC

Is MTV Harder on Hip-Hop Than Rock?

My Love Affair with Indie Music

SPECIAL REPORT

Someone to Talk To
Teens rally for more mental health services in schools

ADVERTISING, CONSUMERISM & TEENS

The 'truth' is Hard to Ignore
Teens like these anti-tobacco ads

Starbury
The new status symbol?

What's Wrong With Red Bull Ads?

All-Girl Ad Agency Knows What Sells

Buying Brand Names to Fit In

Hooked on Ralph...and Calvin...and...
A Designer Addiction

SPECIAL REPORT

Teens Criticize School Survey

CROSSING CULTURES

The Daily News Taught Me English

BOOK REVIEW

The Kite Runner
A story of love, guilt and betrayal

Contest Winners Write a letter to your parents telling them what’s going on in your life that they should know about—and don’t.

MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

The N-Word: Not in My Vocabulary

Barack Is Black
...But Not African-American

Fire Does Not Discriminate
Going undercover, I found that the FDNY wants more women and minorities
Plus:Women on the Job

A Floor for Every Race
My school is a 10-story rainbow

Bill Clinton is Black
The former president represents in Harlem

The Hip-Hop Project
A movie that raps about reality

TEENS RESPOND TO THE DON IMUS SCANDAL

EXCLUSIVE: A Rutgers Player Speaks Up

Forced Off the Air
Teens Respond to the Don Imus Scandal

What About Racism on Hip-Hop Radio?

Words Can Hurt in Any Language

Contest Winners Imagine a side to you that no one knows about, a second personality that can do things you don’t usually do.

OUT INTO THE WORLD

A Black Woman in Mongolia
Looking for adventure after college

Fated to Die
I was told I wouldn't live to see my 9th birthday

Too Much Independence
Growing up, I needed a mother, not a friend

Staying Safe
I won't let boys or sex sidetrack me

Transported by Books

LEAVING OUR COMFORT ZONE

Letting Haiti Go
I fought hard to feel at home in the U.S.

A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City
The famous exhibit by Doctors Without Borders

TAKING CONTROL OF OUR EDUCATION

My Escape from High School
I worked the system to spend a year outside the classroom

Homeschooling
Not an easy way out

Early College
An option for gifted students

WORK AND THE "REAL" WORLD

My Summer in Politics
A great internship

Back to Preschool
My young students teach me something new every day

Contest Winners What's your most important possession and why?

TEENS WRITE ABOUT PEER PRESSURE

Can't Afford to Follow My Friends
My family is too important to me

The Pressure to Fit In
Four teens tell how they handle peer pressure

Why I Speak My Mind
When the stakes are high, it's hard to hold myself back

Why Do Teens Take Risks?

Not Just About Sex
Communication is the key to our relationship

Taking On Too Much
I can't stop trying to prove myself

Keeping Me In Line
Without my school, I'd become a slacker

DEPRESSION AND THERAPY

Swimming to the Surface
I learned I can't cope with depression alone
Plus:What Is Depression?

Blacks and Therapy
Interview with Dr. Alvin Poussaint, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

REVIEWS

Borat: The Joke's On Us

The Overachievers
Being the Best Takes Its Toll on Teens
Plus:Interview with the Author

After the Wreck
A True-to-Life Teen Novel About Recovering From Loss

WELCOME TO ADULTHOOD

Why I Won't Go to Prom

Is Facebook a Modern Rite of Passage?

Sisters in Sisterhood Help Each Other Grow Up

What's a Rite of Passage?

A Student Bill of Rights
City teens take back the schools

Urban Youth Collaborative's Proposed Bill of Rights

The New Teen Novels-Mean Girls Win?

An Adult in the Eyes of God
My bat mitzvah made me feel closer to my faith

Contest Winners #178
Tell us about your best or worst holiday memory

QUINCEAÑERA: A SWEET 15 TRADITION
: No Poofy Dress for Me
: Dreaming of My Big Day

From Shy Guy to Smooth Talker
I finally found my own way to approach the ladies

Getting the Words Out
After years of stuttering, I’m taking control of my speech

Why People Stutter

DOING TIME

A Day in the Life at Riker's
Plus sidebar:The Facts About Youth in Prison

Fighting to Stop Fighting
I'm struggling to think before I beast
Plus sidebar:How to Handle Conflict

Girls in Lockdown
What's really going on behind the prison walls?
Plus sidebar:Gender Breakdown

Know Your Rights
Would you know what to do if you were stopped by the police?

Each One Teach One
Teens demand change in the juvenile justice system

Another Columbine?
Bullying pushes some teens over the edge

Protecting Myself Online

Contest Winners #177
How has war (the war in Iraq or any other war) affected you or a member of your family?

DEFINING DAD

A Mostly Absent Father
For years, I fought to get his attention

Discovering My Dad at the Movies

Out of Prison and Into My Life
After 16 years, my dad and I are making up for lost time

My Superman
Dad’s illness can’t break our bond

Feeling Different
I've always struggled to connect with other people

My Cups Are Half-Empty

NYC GOES WILD

Harlem's Hazards
A 'toxic tour' gave me an up-close look at environmental racism

Putting My Foot Down
After a life on the move, I wanted a place to call home

Bronx Teens Rock the Boat

Staten Island's Natural Treasures

BEYOND THE CONCRETE
: The Forest Fights Back
: Closer to Home

Half Nelson
Not Just Another Teen Movie

WE ARE AMERICA

A Different Kind of Education
It took more than smarts to succeed in school

Chew On This
How I Quit Fast Food... And Lived to Write About It
Plus sidebar:What's Wrong With Fast Food?

Immigrant Teens Get Organized

Contest Winners #175
What makes your best friend your best friend, and why?

New York City Gives Teens a Taste of the World

CLIMBING OUT

From Failure to College
It took more than smarts to succeed in school

Diploma Required
Today's job market is tough for dropouts

The GED
Many Ways to Graduate

Easy Way Out?
Find out what it really takes to get your GED

Many Ways to Graduate
Contact List

Contest Winners #174
What's one mistake you're glad you made, and why?

Intro: Bearing Witness
After hearing African refugees speak, we had to share their stories

Dying in Darfur

Fleeing Sierra Leone

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Coloring Outside the Lines
I won't let anyone tell me how to be black

White Kid in the Ghetto

Brokeback Breaks Hearts—and Stereotypes

The Will & Grace in Me
A TV show gave me the courage to come out

Letters to Parents #173
Write a letter to your parents telling them what's going on in your life that they should know about—but don't

FAMILY MATTERS

My Grandmother's Love
Will I ever find that kind of bond again?

Walking Away From the Fight
Therapy is teaching me a new way to handle my dad's anger

Stupid Questions about Africa
There's more to my homeland than lions and poverty

Bodies on Display
An Unforgettable Science Lesson

Contest Winners #172
What's the biggest obstacle you've faced? How did you overcome it and what did you learn from it?

WRESTLING WITH MONEY

Teens and Poverty

Money Can’t Buy Love
My parents gave me everything—except themselves

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Teens learn to fight for good food
Plus sidebar:Fresh From the Farm
Plus sidebar:Better Than Big Macs

How the Other Half Lives
What does race have to do with success?

Contest Winners #171
What does New Youth Connections (NYC) mean to you?

SEX

Player No More
I had to quit playing games to win at love

Sex With the Wrong Guy
I learned it takes love to make love

All About Birth Control, Right Here