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Youth Communication Youth Communication (YC) amplifies youth stories and empowers young people to achieve their goals.

This story was written before New York City released this fall’s policy on AI in public schools. It shows how AI interfe...
10/16/2026

This story was written before New York City released this fall’s policy on AI in public schools. It shows how AI interferes with thinking and learning.

After first seeing a teacher dump unread essays into Google Gemini, the author writes, “She wasn’t doing any work: Everything was AI-generated. She had cheated us out of proper learning—the kind that can only take place by one mind trying to comprehend and guide another—by replacing herself with AI.”

He concludes with a reasonable question: “What is the point of school?”

Once again, allegations of the sexual assault of a young woman and lack of institutional response are making headlines. ...
10/01/2026

Once again, allegations of the sexual assault of a young woman and lack of institutional response are making headlines. We share a harrowing but hopeful story by a YC writer who had her life blown apart by a sexual assault when she was a freshman in high school. Even as the writer is still reeling from the assault, school gossip twists it to shame her instead of her assailant.

The author withdraws and smokes a lot of w**d, her grades plummeting. Months later, however, she takes brave steps in telling kind friends and then a good therapist. She writes of the therapist, “It took me about six months to tell her what Oliver did to me. The word ‘rape’ had seemed too extreme, but she, and then other adults, confirmed my feeling that it was rape.”

Sexual assault of young women in particular is like a disease that the victims keep being asked to cure, year after year, century after century. It’s terrible that girls–and boys–have to keep telling this story, but as the writer observes, “There are a lot of us, and talking truthfully about it helps us all.”

This week’s story is scary and heartbreaking. The writer is a 17-year-old high school student whose family escaped war i...
09/22/2026

This week’s story is scary and heartbreaking. The writer is a 17-year-old high school student whose family escaped war in the Ukraine. Since 2022, she has lived here in safety with her parents and little sister under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The war still rages, but TPS protection is scheduled to end for all Ukrainians on October 19, 2026.

In perhaps an ironic tribute to the American education system, the writer recently took an excellent course on immigration, treatment of refugees, and citizenship issues. As a refugee and as a TPS beneficiary—along with tens of thousands of Haitians, Venezuelans, Salvadorans, and others—she writes, “Learning all this history feels a little surreal, as I’m also living in it, waiting to hear if our TPS status will be renewed or if TPS will even continue.”

📚 Bring More Stories to Life ✍️
$125 covers a teen writer’s stipend for each published story! You just read what change in action looks like — a young person finding their voice and shaping how we see the world. At YC, your support turns experiences into impact. 💯

Click the link in bio to visit YOUTHCOMM.ORG/YCTEEN/ and continue reading 🗞️📣

YC writer Ariana is a fan of both Homer and director Christopher Nolan. She connects to the enduring story as a Ukrainia...
08/17/2026

YC writer Ariana is a fan of both Homer and director Christopher Nolan. She connects to the enduring story as a Ukrainian refugee who also longs for home. Part of what she loves about Greek mythology is that “it captures the unfairness of life. Gods and goddesses are petty and random and use humans as pawns in their struggles, not unlike dictators in real life.”

Read her thoughtful and witty review that goes beyond the hot takes and celebrates the timeless pleasure of great storytelling on youthcomm.org 📖

07/01/2026

☀️ July 1st marks the start of a new summer reading season. 📖

We asked some of our YCteen Magazine and Represent Magazine writers what they’re planning to read this summer, and their lists range from nonfiction and self-improvement to fiction, horror, and comfort reads. 📚✨

At Youth Communication, reading and writing go together. Writing is a pathway to self-discovery and connection, helping young people turn lived experience into stories that build confidence, belonging, and wellbeing. ❤️🤍

Now we are curious.

What are you reading this summer? 👀

🔗 YOUTHCOMM.ORG/YCTEEN
🔗 YOUTHCOMM.ORG/REPRESENT

🚨 This Thursday is the final Respect for All PD session of the spring, and only a few spots remain ‼️📚 THE EXPERTS ARE I...
06/01/2026

🚨 This Thursday is the final Respect for All PD session of the spring, and only a few spots remain ‼️

📚 THE EXPERTS ARE IN THE ROOM: Centering Youth Voice in Culturally Responsive Education
🗓️ Thursday, June 4 | 9–11 AM (virtual)

Culturally responsive education is strongest when grounded in the voices of young people. In this session, educators will engage with powerful, true teen-written stories from Youth Communication writers and use “mirrors and windows” to better understand both themselves and their students. 💯

Through reflection and discussion, participants will deepen their understanding of how youth voice strengthens belonging, engagement, and academic success. 🙌

Thank you to everyone who joined us this spring for Youth Communication’s Respect for All professional development series, in partnership with the NYC Public Schools Office of Safety and Youth Development (OSYD). ❤️🤍

🔗 YOUTHCOMM.ORG/RESPECTFORALL

➡️ Free | Virtual | 2 CTLE credits per session
➡️ Funded by OSYD | NYCPS staff only

📚 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be terribly isolating for teens. This week’s story is by a teen who broke thro...
05/31/2026

📚 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be terribly isolating for teens. This week’s story is by a teen who broke through that isolation and found a therapist with whom she could talk about her swirling thoughts and racing heart. Zaria got a diagnosis, which comforted her in one way, but also worried her: “Realizing how common it was made me doubt whether it could be cured.” 🗣️🧠

Zaria’s story breaks down how therapy worked for her. To prepare for sessions, she wrote down each day’s challenges and “good things too, like when I made a friend.” She recounts the conversations with her therapist that helped her reveal some of her most guilty thoughts and also reckons with the need to keep pushing. “I didn’t want to talk to others about my feelings. I just wanted to be more social and less anxious. I knew my wish was unrealistic, and that avoiding communicating my feelings would only delay the growth I wanted.” ✍️

The story ends with Zaria focusing more on playing the guitar. “I noticed that when I played I wasn’t worried or battling my own imagination.” This discovery is a delightful addition to all the insights she shares. We hope readers benefit from her introspection, her honesty, and her comfort in music. 🎼🎶

✨ Bring More Stories to Life ✨
$125 covers a teen writer’s stipend for each published story! You just read what change in action looks like — a young person finding their voice and shaping how we see the world. At YC, your support turns experiences into impact. 💯

Click the link in bio to visit YOUTHCOMM.ORG/YCTEEN/ and continue reading 🗞️📣🌟

05/29/2026

“I don’t want AI to do my thinking for me.” ✍️

That sentence sparked one of the most powerful conversations happening among our Spring 2026 YC writers right now. 📚📝✨

As AI becomes more present in classrooms, creative spaces, and everyday life, our writers are pushing back against the idea that technology should replace curiosity, imagination, and human thought. They’re asking bigger questions about originality, creativity, identity, and what it means to truly have a voice in today’s world. 📣🗣️🎙️

At Youth Communication, young people don’t just learn how to write. They learn how to reflect, question, connect, and tell stories rooted in lived experience. Because when teens share their own perspectives, they create conversations and understanding that no machine can replicate.💯

More stories from our Spring 2026 writers on AI and creativity are coming soon. ❤️🤍

📖 Read YCteen Magazine Stories:
🔗 YOUTHCOMM.ORG/YCTEEN

After a year of focused, transformative work, we are saying a heartfelt thank you and farewell to our Executive Director...
05/28/2026

After a year of focused, transformative work, we are saying a heartfelt thank you and farewell to our Executive Director, Lori Rose Benson, whose last day with Youth Communication is at the end of May.

Lori came to YC at a pivotal moment. She reshaped the organization from the inside — strengthening our foundation, rightsizing for sustainability, and shepherding the vision that became YC CONNECT, our new free and open digital living library launching this August. She leaves behind something that will serve young people for generations. We are deeply grateful, and the organization is stronger for her having been here. 🌟🙌

As Lori closes this chapter, Youth Communication steps into its next one with an intergenerational leadership team we are proud to introduce:

✨ Keith Hefner, our Founder, steps into the role of Executive Director — bringing 46 years of founding vision, deep relationships, and an unwavering belief in the power of youth voice to the external work of the organization.

✨ Samantha Lilienfeld steps into the role of Managing Director — bringing nearly a decade of institutional knowledge, operational depth, and genuine care for this organization and everyone in it to the work of leading YC from within.

Different generations. Shared purpose. Exactly the kind of leadership model that reflects what YC has always valued. 💯

Thank you, Lori. And here’s to what comes next. ❤️🤍

🗣️ “My experience as a YC writer has been eye-opening. It taught me what it means to write for a real publication, stay ...
05/15/2026

🗣️ “My experience as a YC writer has been eye-opening. It taught me what it means to write for a real publication, stay committed to my story, and use my voice with purpose. My article is about how my speech impediment made me hide my voice, and how theater helped me find it again. It means a lot knowing my story could reach other young people and remind them they aren’t alone.” — Yeshaya Benknockee, current YCteen Magazine writer ✍️

For more than 46 years, Youth Communication has helped teens transform their lived experiences into powerful published stories that build empathy, connection, and understanding.

Because of supporters like you:
✨ Nearly 3,000 teen writers have participated in YC programs
✨ More than 10,000 authentic youth stories have been published
✨ More than 200,000 educators accessed YC stories and lesson materials in 2025 alone
✨ 50,000 young people were reached through YC programs and partnerships last year

These stories create a ripple effect that extends far beyond the page, reaching classrooms, counselors, youth workers, school districts, foster care agencies, social workers, therapists, and communities nationwide. 🙌

Your support helps ensure that more young people find their voice, more educators gain tools to connect with students, and more stories reach the people who need them most. 📚

Help us continue expanding the YC ripple effect. 🌊❤️🤍

🎁 YOUTHCOMM.ORG/DONATE

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