How Gentrification Has Affected Me
I’ve watched the construction of 111 Montgomery in my Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights since it was nothing more than a large empty lot. There was a playground nearby where my brother and I always played competitive 2v2s basketball with the neighborhood kids. They were strangers at first, but after the first or second interaction […]
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Gaining Confidence and Control
Names have been changed. In 7th grade, I was bullied by a few of my female classmates. They made fun of me for being a hijabi (meaning I wore a headscarf) and said I was ugly. I had social anxiety. They talked about me behind my back and made fun of me to my face. […]
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Finding and Trusting the Right Therapist
Names have been changed. My father sexually abused me as a child and, a few days shy of my 13th birthday, I entered foster care. When detectives were first assigned to my case, I had to explain the what, when, where, who, and how of the assaults over and over. I felt like I was […]
Read MoreWriting Contest Winners Spring 2023
Four times a year, we ask our readers to write about the impact recent stories have had on teens around the country. In spring 2023, we had a range of responses from writers connecting to stories about family, addiction, generational trauma, and finding one’s voice. Congratulations to our winners and be sure to apply for our […]
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