YouthComm Magazine – Youth Communication

YCM Story of the Week

Passing Down a Love for Art

Sometimes the best teachers are in your own home.

by Anonymous

Since I was 4, a range of mentors, from my mom to my grandfather to a real art teacher, have helped me discover what I like—and don’t like—about art. From the first time I picked up a paintbrush at the age of 4, I was immediately intrigued by the world of art-making.

Recent Stories

Mean Girl Wipeout

by Anonymous

Names have been changed. I got my first skateboard in April of my junior year. I practiced hard, mostly by myself, for a month because I was self-conscious about being a girl who couldn’t do cool “guy” things well. By May, I had mastered some skateboard basics.
Begging for Scraps as TPS Gets Taken Away

by Anonymous

On a family drive to the beach in Long Island a few months ago, my mom turned to me from the front seat and said, “Your grandpa was diagnosed with a terminal illness.” Her voice was sad yet calm, slightly detached.
Beautiful Star

by Noshin Sayira

You almost got married when you were 13. That’s the version of the story people remember. The part that makes someone stop and ask questions. But they don’t remember that you had homework due the next morning. Or that you cared about the constellation of acne scars you gave yourself by popping your pimples until your face hurt.
Falling In With the Right Crowd

by Elizabeth Castro

In elementary school, I felt like I could take on anything that was thrown at me. I easily made the honor roll; once I even managed to be student of the month. I grew a little cocky. But somewhere along the way, I lost my touch.

Represent Magazine

Stories by Teens in Foster Care

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.

by Anonymous

My journey from West Africa to the U.S. took me away from everything I knew, but brought me closer to what I wanted to be: free. I arrived in May 2024, and it seemed at first that I could build a new life in New York City.

Youth-written stories in Represent give inspiration and information to teens in foster care while offering insight into those teens’ struggles.

More Recent YC Magazine Stories