Urban Journalism Workshop
High school reporters cover local stories for NYU Journalism Institute’s summer program.
Crocheting, life-coaching from a park bench
By Laiba Lakhani At 9 o’clock on most mornings, he said, Bob Matthews sits on the same bench in Washington Square Park, just northeast of where the park’s stone walkway veers toward West Fourth Street. He pulls his pink and green needles from the crocheted hat, made from recycled material, covering his dreadlocks. “Crochet is […]
Aiming for mental wellness at NYU
By Aaron Baluyot “I think we are still coping and we are not yet there,” said grad student Chrysolite Mongoly when asked if the pandemic affected the mental health of individuals, mainly youth and young adults. ”It’s still a long way to go because mental health is a challenge for every single individual.” As a […]
Screentime: How much is too much?
By Christian Payne Eighty-seven percent of Americans owned a smartphone, according to Pew Research Center. They spend an average of 5.4 hours a day on those devices, according to Verizon, which also warns of smartphone addiction and notes research linking smartphone overuse to anxiety and other behavioral health problems. And 47% of Americans admitted that […]
Weed sales soar on sidewalks, in storefronts
By Abraham Dume As Jonathan Perez, 28, sees it, his sales of cannabis gummies, cookies, cereal and other sweet treats and of pre-rolled marijuana joints, selling for $10 each, is a community service. “We’ve saved lives … Ever since we’ve come here there’s been more peace and harmony in this park,” said Perez, offering his […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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,” […]
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 […]
Churches Create Safe Ways to Worship, Serve Communities During Covid-19
By Baijun “Jack” Jiang Spectrum staff Unable to gather for worship in the sanctuary, youth leaders of Bethany Church sang and prayed from the rooftop of the Wyckoff, N.J., building where, before a pandemic, they usually gathered indoors. The people for they whom sang and prayed either sat inside or stood beside vehicles in the […]
Student Internships Went Virtual, Too
By Amira Shimin Spectrum staff Though she attends a top-tier high school whose students are pretty much guaranteed a summer internship, Pop Joslaine Manos fretted that she would have no place to apprentice this year. So many workplaces were still struggling with how to make work work during Covid-19, how would they possibly fit in […]
Son Rallies for Mom Killed by Cop
By Marian Caballo Spectrum staff The first time he heard a protester shout his murdered mother’s name, Andrew Ocasio broke down. “I was balling, with tears. It really hit me that day,” he said, remembering what happened after he spoke at a June Black Lives Matter rally. He’d started showing up at those rallies to […]
Race and a Summer Reading List
By Rohini Devi Spectrum staff When leaders of Sewanaka Central High School District, in June 2020, voted to list mainly authors of color in the recommended list of books for students to read, it was the first time they had made such a leap. They were showing that they weren’t going to ignore the Black Lives Matter movement and the summer’s unrest.
Retailers Hire Social-Media Influencers
By Isabella Ji Spectrum staff On a Monday in April 2020, Kaitlyn Zayas, 19, sat in her living room, recording a social media post about the “happiness” bath bomb and the “luau” facial and body soap bar that had arrived in that day’s mail from one of the retailers she represents online.
Virtual Class Tough on Kids, Teachers
By Rachel Todd Spectrum staff A music teacher went viral after posting a video of herself describing virtual learning: Hey, so, some of you guys might know, I’m a music teacher. And I’ve found that one of the best ways that I can process the whole transition to online learning is to write a song […]
In the Park — With, and Without, Masks
By Tenzin Lama Spectrum staff After quarantine had left children and adults antsy from spending so much time indoors, people who recently made their way to Windmuller Park in Woodside, Queens were having lots of fun outdoors — even though many didn’t wear masks or social distance. “This is the most crowded I’ve ever seen […]
Public Garden Soothes Amid Pandemic
By Ama Anwar Spectrum staff After being closed for more than four months, the 250-acre New York Botanical Garden re-opened to the public on July 28. Eileen Vurgos, a social worker from the Upper West Side, was one of the first people to glide through its entrance gates. After so many months either under quarantine […]
A Retired Cop Joins Black Lives Matter
By Paige Gibbs Spectrum staff Rose Facey’s 27 years as a sworn officer of the New York Police Department gave her a close-up view of what can and does go wrong in American policing. And that’s why, at 69, she has joined Black Lives Matter protesters — at three separate rallies, so far — who […]
Addressing Race in Yorktown Schools
By Ashley Alexander Spectrum staff When Amy Belfer looks back on what she learned while a student at Lakeland High School in Yorktown N.Y., she thinks about how much got left out. “We learned the basics about slavery, a tiny bit of Reconstruction,” the 2015 Lakeland graduate said. “And that’s all the black history we […]
Supporting Community via Social Media
By Shruti Vadada Spectrum staff Using proceeds from a GoFundMe campaign that attracted, among other donors, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, one youth group donated 200 masks and 400 medical gowns to a nursing home. Another youth organization has partnered with several public libraries on Long Island to teach seniors, via Zoom, how to stream […]
How to Diversify NYC’s Elite Schools
By Rainier Harris Spectrum staff At Manhattan’s elite Stuyvesant High School, only 10 out of the 766 admitted students in the 2020-21 freshman class were Black. At Staten Island Technical, another of New York City’s eight competitive, specialized high schools, this year, only a single black student — in a freshman class of roughly 1,320 […]
Small Landlords: Covid-19 Hit Us, Too
By David Wang Spectrum staff When the Covid-19 pandemic hit New York, government officials made protecting tenants a legislative priority. For tenants unable to pay their rent, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a moratorium on evictions until August 20. But now landlords across the state are arguing that government policies are putting them in […]