NYC-Feature Story-World Trade Center

Stories About Tolerance, Stereotyping, War, Loss and Friendship

The 16 stories originally appeared in New Youth Connections, a New York City teen-written magazine. Some of the stories were written in response to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Helping teens sort out their feelings is especially important in light of several unprovoked murders of Arab Americans since the attack. President Bush and New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani have both spoken out against intolerance.

Many of these writers have personally experienced prejudice or stereotypes. Whether they are Arab-American, Asian-American, African-American, or of European descent, they have been labeled because of their race, religion, culture or appearance. They examine the impact of this prejudice and ways it might be combated. They describe coming to terms with their own stereotypes and preconceptions. They look at the price of war, and at the dangers of blaming an entire group for the actions of a few. They appeal to our better natures-to our ability to turn negative experiences into opportunities for learning.

Reading and discussing these stories will give young people the chance to express what's on their minds in a safe, structured, and reassuring way because they will see that other young people have had the same kinds of reactions. By providing validation and confirmation of difficult feelings, they also raise the issues of tolerance and respect.

We hope these articles will help young people broaden their perspectives at a time when positions and viewpoints may be dangerously narrow, and to find constructive ways to deal with painful feelings.

Educators and youth workers have permission download these copyrighted stories for use with teens in their classes or programs. For any other use, please contact us.

A note on the "Think About It" questions:

We provide a few questions at the end of each story to promote reflection on its major themes. They can be used to initiate discussion, but also as the basis for short writing assignments. In a few instances, role plays and group exercises are suggested for more active learning experiences.

A note on the roleplays: You will need two or three teens to act out the roleplays in front of the group. Make sure the young people understand their roles by briefly reviewing the characters in the stories. Each participant has to try to convince the other of her point of view as described in the roleplay. Let the roleplay go on for about five minutes. Then have the class discuss what they've seen and relate it back to the themes in the story.

A note on the group exercises: These activities are designed to have students work together in pairs or small groups. They can then share their work with the larger group in a general discussion.