Monthly Archives: July 2021
Harvard Researchers Aim to Stop Teens Use of Unsafe Weight Loss Supplements
By Radiah Jamil Fueled by less than half the calories he usually consumed, 17-year-old Stanley Huang ran more than three miles a day in 2018, hoping to lose weight. Looking back, Huang, who considered himself chubby at the time, regrets the way that he lost those 30 pounds. “I was losing a lot of muscle […]
“Flushing Community Fridge” Bonds Neighbors, While Filling Hungry Bellies
By Nicole Wong Thrilled to provide fresh produce, hygiene products, and other necessities to community members free of charge, rising high school seniors Kaitlyn Noemi and Isabel Noemi are celebrating the launch of the Flushing Community Fridge. Mutual aid finds strength in communities by ensuring that those most affected by issues like poverty are also […]
Teens Debate Whether Being “Triggered” Stops Important Conversations
By Adithi Vimalanathan Sitting in the large white halls of the Notre Dame School auditorium, Mary Sanfield observed as a NYPD officer spoke on online safety. Clicking through the slideshow, the officer eventually landed on a slide with a short clip. She then warned students she was about to play a video of a car […]
Even as Teen Births Drop, Teen Moms Still Exist and Sometimes Struggle
By Emmanuella Agyemang The second and last time her father kicked her out of the house, 17-year-old Melody Mota and her son, Aiden, who was 6-months-old, got sent to live with relatives in the Dominican Republic. She’s been there since January, mostly cut off from her New York family and struggling to get by on […]
As Offices Re-open, Workers Ponder the Pros and Cons
By Katie Chang As much as she loves the convenience of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, corporate accountant Kamila Gosiewski said some of what happens while handling clients remotely can be annoying. “Not all of our clients want to show their faces on camera,” said Gosiewski, audit and tax manager at Anchin, Block […]
When Choosing Careers, Should Students Follow their Hearts or the Money?
By Yumna Qasim When she was 10 and told an inquiring family friend that she planned to write books someday, that grown-up’s response “was unforgettable,” said Morgan, 17, a senior at Brooklyn Latin High School. “He told me that I shouldn’t become an author and that I shouldn’t do writing because I won’t make […]
Public Housing Tenants Made 200K Complaints About Bedbugs and Roaches
By Brandon Sanchez For the 19 years that he’s lived in public housing, Jaylen Ramos has dealt with a range of problems, including having to boil water and, then, stand in his tub to bathe. “Just this month, there was no hot water for like two days,” said Ramos, 38, a barber, who lives in […]
Community Gardens are Feeding the Hungry and Bestowing their Bounty on Nurses
By Benjamin Raab As the 553 community gardens listed in New York City’s “Green Thumb” program begin ramping up activities after COVID-19 slowed so many things down, the Atlantic Beach Village Garden is preparing for its garlic and shallot festival and other upcoming community events that are designed to feed people and build camaraderie. “We […]
Playhouse Stages Multicultural Productions to Help Diversify the Arts
By Alefiya Presswala When the Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center reopened in June, after being closed for 15 months during the COVID-19 pandemic, “Tenali Raman: Folk Tales From India” was the first play it staged. Having an all-Indian cast for the reopening reflected the center’s mission of ensuring diversity in the performances it stages at a […]
Social Media Sites Can Be a Safe Haven and a Place to Show-and-Tell
By Felicity Robles Within a span of about 20 minutes, Hala Kurbeh watched her TikTok video showing the jeans, shirts, tops and necklaces she’d bought at an online clothing store rack up 79,000 likes and 280,000 views. “I was not used to my videos blowing up … ” said New Jerseyite Kurbeh, 16. “So many […]
Teen’s “Project Involve” Connects Youth to Local and World Concerns
By Edward Kim Since her June 2021 launch of Project Involve, an online platform aimed at encouraging students to become more aware of and involved in issues around the world, 16-year-old Aashi Chandna has attracted 1,300 followers. “People turn away from reading the news because it is associated with a lot of negativity and anger,” […]
In Nigeria, Brooklyn and Other Points Abroad, Ancient Art of Tie-Dye Thrives
By Oluwatobi Oyinloye Adesina Adeseye dips a sponge into wax that was boiling in a tin pot sitting directly on top of a cylinder of propane gas. Quickly, he moves the sponge across plain white fabric, making whirls, swirls, straight lines, dots and all sorts of asymmetrical shapes. When the wax dries, he dunks the […]
Thrifters: Recycled and Repurposed Clothing Helps Protect the Environment
By Reva Anna Gujral At Yellow Tag Thrift store, Zoey Alexis, 18, spends her work shift organizing clothing racks and ringing up customers at a vintage cash register with punch keys. She loves what she does in that Green Brook, N.J., store, and she loves the store’s environmental mission. “When you consider how every piece […]
NJ Middle School is Debating Whether Short-shorts, Spaghetti Straps, Etc are OK
By Sofia Pasqua It was hard for Valentina Altman not to feel like there was a double standard when one of the boys in her class at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School got to play soccer shirtless during gym class without consequences last spring. The day before, she was sent to the nurse’s office to change into […]
New York City Mayoral Race Frontrunner Promotes Plant-based Eating
By Akil Kasubhai If elected mayor of New York City, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will become the first vegan to hold that position, which he plans to use to persuade others to eat less meat and way more vegetables. After dealing with the crippling symptoms of type 2 diabetes Adams turned to a plant-based […]