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Youth Communication helps marginalized youth develop their full potential through reading and writing, so that
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Violence (85 found)
After being arrested for assault, Fred is sent to a residential treatment center, where he eventually finds help to deal with his anger and his violent past. (full text)
Andrea tries to understand the Columbine HS killings by looking at how she and her friends were labeled as misfits by the more popular kids in school.
At Zainab's high school, teachers tell students to walk away from fights or to inform an adult. But that advice is ignored because those who follow it get beaten up. Zainab asks adults to understand the realities students face and gives practical suggestions on reducing school violence. (full text)
The writer lives in a violent home and has to physically break up fights between her parents. She compensates by becoming the perfect kid, but her empty feelings lead to hallucinations and she starts seeing a counselor. (full text)
The author resolves to deal with the anger she’s developed from her abusive childhood, so she won’t abuse others. (full text)
Zeena slowly realizes that the abuse she gets from her parents isn’t just part of their culture—it’s wrong. (full text)
The author meets a guy she really likes and they start going out. Then he plans a “surprise.” (full text)
The Interrupters documents a group of ex-gang members who work to calm neighborhood violence through a unique program in Chicago. (full text)
Steven is disturbed by his older sister's abusive relationship and reflects on how the violence in his community affects him. He interviews two psychologists to find out how to develop healthier relationships. (full text)
Catherine learns how quickly things can escalate beyond the virtual world when a confrontation on Facebook leads to real-life violence. (full text)
Catherine is brutally attacked by a girl named Sara, suffering facial fractures as a result. None of the friends they have in common will reveal Sara's full name, so the police can't find her. Catherine wants Sara locked up, not out of revenge, but so she can change her behavior.
Despite a shooting outside her apartment that endangers her aunt, DeAnna's family does not report the incident to the police. "Snitching" goes against the unwritten code of living in the hood—not only will you lose respect from the community, but you could become a target for retaliation.
New brain research confirms what the writer knows from personal experience—teens have lower impulse control than adults.
What’s the best way to get abusers to change? Two different approaches. h
The writer is beginning to realize that her boyfriend is abusive, but she can’t bring herself to leave him.
Domestic violence expert Heather McLain explains what to do if your parent is being abused.
Griffin struggles to control an explosive temper during conflicts with troublemakers at school.
Fred presents teen ideas on how to prevent youth from becoming repeat offenders.
When her boyfriend becomes aggressive, the writer starts to reevaluate their relationship.
Natalie’s faith in her newly adopted country is temporarily shaken by police mistreatment of a Haitian man.
The writer describes the long, painful process of trying to disentangle herself from an abusive boyfriend.
Antwaun writes a letter to his father, confronting him about his violent behavior toward Antwaun’s mother.
Princess grew up in a violent home and wishes she had been placed in foster care sooner.
The author realizes that what her father has been doing to her for years is sexual abuse and decides to come forward.
Cheryl shares how her cousin, Renee, got into (and out of) a harrowing relationship.
When Tyrone witnesses an older man being disrespected by a youth, it prompts him to analyze why teens act in negative ways.
After a violent confrontation with rival gang members and other close calls, the writer is happy to return to her group home.
The writer interviews three teens who are members of the Bloods, La Familia, and the Latin Kings.
When Rance and his friends decide to talk to the cops who are trailing them instead of running away, they get frisked and verbally abused.
Gia describes her nightmare journey through the criminal justice system before the charges against her are dropped.
The murder of a gay Latino man in Queens by three teenagers prompts Melissa to investigate the reasons behind gay bashing. She finds two powerful influences leading to violence: young people's fears of their own homosexual feelings and society's hatred of gays.
At first, the writer’s boyfriend makes her feel happy and secure. Then he gets violently angry if she refuses to do what he says. When he hits her she thinks that’s the price for keeping him, but she eventually realizes she shouldn’t put up with that kind of treatment.
Grismaldy's 20-year-old cousin David is shot to death on a Bronx street corner and everyone has a different version of what happened. A suspect goes to trial but gets acquitted, and Grismaldy feels hopeless in knowing that David's killer is walking the streets.
Ana has many childhood memories of watching her friend Irma being abused by her mother, Carmen. Ana was deeply disturbed at the time and considered calling a hotline, but didn't act. Now, Ana holds herself responsible because she was silent when she should have spoken up.
Christopher joins a dangerous gang when he’s 13. After going to jail and seeing a relative killed in the drug trade, he turns his life around.
The writer’s father flagrantly cheats on and beats her mother. But when her mother won’t leave, the writer faces an agonizing choice.
Julio interviews teens, advocates, and a former police lieutenant about the mistrust and brutality between cops and kids.
Fabayo loves the club scene but hates the drugs and drinking that go along with it, and decides she's better off at home watching MTV.
Max rides the subway all night long to get away from the harsh reality of his "ghetto world." He reflects on his loneliness in foster care and on the crime and discrimination that surround him, but he also knows there's a way out to a better future.
A neighborhood youth is killed in a drive-by shooting, payback is in the air, and neither Michelle, nor her friends, nor the people who gather in the street have any answers.
Allen finally gets up the nerve to go to an alternative music club, where he experiences the rough and tumble of slammin' in the mosh pit.
The author witnesses her friend being beaten by her mother, tries to intervene on more than one occasion, and feels helpless when nothing she does seems to help.
Eliott's girlfriend breaks up with him because he has a drinking problem and abuses her verbally. Angered by his loss, he becomes violent and self-destructive. The turning point comes when Eliott admits he has a problem, confronts the roots of his pain, and forgives himself.
After a heart-to-heart talk about their various fears of violence, the writer's mother buys her a can of Mace. The writer reflects on her reasons for having it and under what conditions she would use it.
The author describes how having a gun and acting stupid got his friend killed one night and why he'll never make the same mistake.
Kenyetta's first year in foster care is a turbulent one: she's constantly getting high, drinking, and fighting. Transferred to her ninth group home, Kenyetta expects to be kicked out once again, but a friendship with a resident named Kathy helps change her outlook and behavior.
Nancy interviews young men to find out their rationale for harassing women in the street.
Loretta describes how she is verbally assaulted on the street, then has a bottle thrown at her, and how the attack unleashes feelings of powerlessness and frustration that have built up over years of sexual harassment.
In hardcore, violent rap music, Slade sees an art form that may go overboard at times, but one that captures the anger of the oppressed and powerless.
David grows up in a homophobic household and begins to despise himself when he discovers he is gay.
Julio describes the thrill he gets from playing war games with paintball ammunition on weekend outings. It's like hunting, only better, because you're being hunted at the same time.
Alison tells how her grandparents barely escaped the Cracow ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II.
Yelena listens to the lyrics of some popular rap songs and expresses her outrage at the way they disrespect women. She ponders whether there are instances where freedom of speech might need to be curtailed.
The devastation of Los Angeles in the wake of the Rodney King verdict reminds Mohamad of the destruction he witnessed in his native Beirut, and of the similar social inequities at the root of both explosions.
The author is caught in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, lives in fear and isolation, and can't find a way out.
Carlos reflects on an incident in the schoolyard that robbed him of one of his closest friends.
The author presents a less-than-convincing argument for why he needs to carry a gun, and acknowledges, somewhat insincerely, that having a gun can get you into trouble.
Michael visits Thomas Jefferson HS, where a 15-year-old killed two fellow students, and tries to get some answers.
The author recounts how, mad at his girlfriend for dumping him, he joined a group of friends and brutally attacked another teenager with a hammer and bottles. Later he was filled with remorse.
Adrian interviews a girl who watched her friend Maribel get stabbed to death on the subway home from school.
Melissa describes the discipline and discomfort of military training, the terror of holding a gun in her hands for the first time, and the exhilaration of connecting to her heritage and defending her ancestral lands.
Fearing that no one will believe her, the author keeps her rape a secret and is scorned by schoolmates and family.
Gay and lesbian people of all ages attend a workshop to break down barriers between them.
At 14, Hanify joins the Afghanistan resistance and narrowly escapes capture. He hides out for almost two years, then is interrogated by the secret police before a bribe wins his release. He leaves behind his country, family, and friends in coming to the U.S.
Sheila interviews the brother, mother, and high school coach of a U.S. Marine killed by "friendly fire" in the Persian Gulf war.
When a classmate reads aloud a story about a girl who is sexually abused by her father, the author is flooded with memories of being fondled as a young girl in Trinidad. At 17, she speaks up about it for the first time.
Jeanette lives in East Harlem, a neighborhood plagued by crack and violence. Most of the girls she played tag with are now mothers and a drug-dealing friend was beaten to death, but Jeanette also knows a lot of good, hardworking people who are as ambitious as she is.
The boy who always sits next to Suzanne in class is absent one day and she later learns that he was gunned down over a pair of sneakers.
When Carlos's friend is stabbed, his buddies go off looking for someone to hurt. At the last moment, Carlos recognizes that this is madness and opts to stay behind.
David interviews a former female member who describes her descent into the gang lifestyle and how she managed to escape.
Norma writes about growing up during the civil war in her country, recalling how people lost their lives, dreams, and even their capacity to feel. But not all is well when she comes to the U.S.: she sees fights between ethnic groups and learns the word "racism" for the first time.
The author joins a gang when she's 13, drawn to the loyalty and protection they seem to offer. Instead, the gang puts her in danger and disappears when she gets locked up. (full text)
Gangs control the housing projects the author lives in. Even though he's not in a gang, he has to observe their rules and suffer their violence. (full text)
The author is exposed to violence from a young age, and he comes to see it as normal, then fun. He worries that if he's not a predator, he'll be prey. (full text)
The author misses her birth family terribly when she goes into care, and she feels invisible and unloved. She joins a clique that fights other groups after school. (full text)
Valencia feels like a failure after years of hearing her grandmother's put-downs. When she gets in trouble and is sent to a residential treatment center, she meets supportive people who help rebuild her self-esteem. (full text)
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