YCTeen: True Stories by teens

YCT Story of the Week

Not My Fault

A sexual assault, followed by rumors that blamed me, ruined my freshman year of high school. Friends and therapy helped me heal.

by Anonymous

Names have been changed. At the beginning of freshman year, I started hanging out with new, cool people who liked the same alternative music I did. I was so excited for a restart from the bullying I endured in middle school.

Recent Stories

Powering Up and Tuning In

By Yeshaya Benknockee

I discover aspects of myself by writing superhero narratives.
Mean Girl Wipeout

By Anonymous

A skateboarding club took me in, then pushed me out. It took a while to trust again.
Begging for Scraps as TPS Gets Taken Away

By Anonymous

My family fled the war in Ukraine. Trump administration policies threaten to put us back in harm’s way.

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Highlighted Stories

Time Out

My dad and I built a relationship watching soccer.
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By Santiago Toledo
Leaving El Salvador Forever

I crossed borders, deserts, and rivers to reunite with my parents.
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By U.S.
Twice a Refugee

I fled an arranged marriage to be LGBTQ in the U.S., but I wasn’t safe from ICE. So I fled again, to Canada.
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By Anonymous
Leaving Venezuela

At 15, I had to leave my country and start over. Soccer, music, and kind teachers helped me adjust.
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By Yagersys Laya
More Than Just a Game

After giving up on my childhood dream of becoming a professional soccer player, I’ve found other ways to fulfill my love of the sport.
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By Ayah Al-Masyabi
MY FIRST TIME: Playing Soccer

I proved that a brainy girl can also be a jock.
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By Farhana Hussain

More Stories

Beautiful Star

By Noshin Sayira

A writer wrestles with sharing trauma while preserving the rest of her identity.
Falling In With the Right Crowd

By Elizabeth Castro

A group of motivated friends re-lit my spark for learning and achievement.
An Epic Epic

By Arina Limarieva

A Greek mythology nerd reviews Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey.
My Father’s Failure, Not My Fault

By Anonymous (“Angela”)

Once I faced reality, I found my strength.
Teens Speak Out on AI

YC writers fear the technology’s toll on their thinking, creativity, and relationships.
Cheated Out of Learning

By Anonymous

If AI grades (and does) my writing, are my brain and my character obsolete?
High Seriousness

By Maggie Crary

My search for a college that deals in ideas
Marching Forward With Little Women

By Zaria Nyah Lowe

Finishing writing projects is a work in progress, but I’m learning to persevere.

Emphasis is on the yellow-shirted writer holding a pencil and another person holding a pen reading the laptop screen

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