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The youth-written stories in Represent give inspiration and information to teens in foster care while offering staff insight into those teens’ struggles.
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Masculinity (35 found)
Note: These stories are from Represent and its sister publication, YCteen, which is written by New York City public high school students.
Two teens take take on the battle of the sexes after attending a talk by the author of the provocatively-titled book, Man Down: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else (full text)
Youth Communication's summer workshop on gender led writers to challenge stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. They found that gender roles can limit or even hurt people. (full text)
The author sees his father hit his mother. Instead of keeping quiet, he seeks help and talks to trusted friends and mentors. (full text)
Men are constantly commenting on Margaret's appearance as she walks down the street. She reports on how widespread—and how damaging to girls—street harassment is. (full text)
The author's dad leaves when he's little, but then his Uncle Ruben enters his life. Uncle Ruben's care and guidance shows the writer what a man can be. (full text)
Marlo is angry about the death of his mother and rebels against authority. He loses respect for girls until he meets Towanda, who is his intellectual equal. They support each other in straightening out their lives. (full text)
V.M.'s father abandons the family and then berates V.M. for crying when his mother dies. V.M. learns how to be a better man by tuning into good role models and his own compassion. (full text)
The writer questions how our culture defines manhood, particularly how his father defines it. While pursuing his passion for acting, he played a role that helped him develop his own definition. (full text)
After running away and going into foster care, Daniel is determined to repair his relationship with his mother. (full text)
The writer’s father reappears after he left the family many years ago. (full text)
Although many of his friends are gang members, the writer decides not to join. (full text)
When a fellow resident ages out into homelessness, Michael resolves to make a plan for himself. (full text)
Juelz finds acceptance and support in his new foster family, which helps improve his self-esteem. (full text)
When Antwaun returns to Harlem after living in a safer, more middle class neighborhood in Queens, he realizes how far he's traveled from his roots. (full text)
Antwaun becomes dependent on drinking and smoking weed to deal with painful emotions, but gradually finds ways to deal with life without being high. (full text)
For a long time Antwaun had too much pride to ask for help, but when he reaches out to his brother during a crisis in his life, he realizes the importance of opening up to others. (full text)
The writer has a one-night stand with a girl at a party. Months later, the girl tells him he is the father of her soon-to-be-born baby. (full text)
A former player, Antwaun discovers it feels good to get close to one person. (full text)
Jonathan keeps his opera singing a secret from his friends, for fear he won’t be thought of as “manly.” (full text)
Years later, the male author still feels deeply ashamed about being raped at age 8. (full text)
Jeremiyah is harassed for being gay, but finds ways to maintain his self-worth. (full text)
Xavier is prejudiced against homosexuals and therefore terrified when he finds himself attracted to men. (full text)
Karate gives Robin a positive way to release and control his anger. (full text)
It doesn’t matter what the guys around his way have to say—Damon’s going to wait until he’s married. (full text)
Transferring from a large, impersonal high school to a small, supportive one is the key to Troy’s success. (full text)
Reflecting on the mistakes of his childhood friends, Ferentz is determined to do something more with his life. (full text)
Jovani writes about how his mother, “who wore the pants” in his house, offered a unique perspective; he never thinks of “masculine” things being better than “feminine” things. (full text)
Four YCteen writers discuss how concepts of masculinity or femininity have affected their lives. (full text)
Lisuini has always loved to write, but in 6th grade, boys tease him that writing is girly. He gives it up for several years. (full text)
A girl interviews three boys about pressure to be more "manly," how they handle that pressure, and if there's anything to gender stereotypes. (full text)
The author sees his father hit his mother. Instead of keeping quiet, he seeks help and talks to trusted friends and mentors. (full text)
Desmin doesn’t just look like Tupac Shakur; they both grew up in Harlem with single mothers who struggled with crack addiction. Both also used writing to inspire readers to “do better in life.” (full text)
David is proud to be a black belt in Taekwondo because it’s a martial art that demands athleticism and discipline. But he doesn’t like hurting people. (full text)
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