Recent Stories

If you're a practicing Muslim, financing a home can become a lot more difficult than it already is.

By Gabriela Mejia Tejada and Samantha Reese  January 17, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® American students face a critical decision after high school: Should they attend college right away, or take a gap year to explore other opportunities? For about 60,000 to 70,000 students per year, the answer is a gap year. But as tuition costs continue to rise, the choice has become increasingly complex. Here are five important factors to consider before making your decision. Reflect on goal

By Andrinika Aimable, Isabella Chavez, Bethel Kifle, Alani Schwertfeger and Samuel Wang Youthcast Media Group® Monica-Grace Mukendi was the salutatorian at Fordham High School for the Arts in the Bronx, and participated in extracurriculars. But when she learned that her college career could be threatened because she didn’t qualify for financial aid, she felt betrayed.  Monica-Grace Mukendi “I didn’t think college was in the cards for me,” Mukendi, now 26, said. “We didn’t hav

College graduation rates show far more needs to be done By Kadence Johnson, Divine Savoy, Skyy Branch, Rosana Wahdat, and Hayden Hernly  Youthcast Media Group® When Azzarie Brown, 17, thinks about college, the first feeling that comes to mind isn’t excitement. It’s anxiety.  Azzarie Brown (courtesy of Azzarie) Azzarie, who lives in Southeast Washington and is a senior at Archbishop Carroll High School, dreams of studying computer engineering and film studies at Niagara Univer

Years of climate misinformation points to society in need of systemic reforms By Tram On  January 9, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® In Mala Persaud’s little store in the historic part of Vienna, Virginia, neatly labeled dispenser bins line the walls. Wooden shelves are laden with bulk containers of everything from hand soap to vinegar, reusable bags to pasta. Mala Persaud in Trace, her zero-waste store in Vienna, VA Patrons bring their own jars, bags, bins, whatever they have, f

By Cailyn Corbett December 31, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® My family is one with many old traditions —some good, some bad, and some that have surely been forgotten. But one stands out to me the most: If you were sick, sad, or just having a rough day, somebody would make you a cup of tea and some hot chicken soup.  It didn't matter if you even liked tea or soup, it was my family’s way of showing that they cared. As I’ve grown older, tea and hot chicken soup have become a dish

I discovered three books that helped me understand that mental illness comes in different varieties, and with different struggles for different people. 

For a future doctor, skipping college is impossible. An up-and-coming surgeon can't avoid the years of classes, licensing exams, and internship and residency hours.  But what about an up-and-coming cinematographer? A fine artist? A graphic designer? 

Teen driver Hannah Henderson, who has attention deficit disorder, says medication helped her focus on the road. By Hannah Henderson October 11, 2024 Youthcast Media Group® This story was published October 11, 2024 in MindSite News . If you know me as well as I know myself, it is no surprise that I have attention deficit disorder (ADD). Ever since I was little, I’ve had trouble focusing. Doing little and big things has always been hard.  Hannah Henderson Last fall, like other

Virginia high school participants write, create social media posts on health, safety and personal finance November 20, 2025 By Brie Zeltner Youthcas t Media Group ® Members of YMG’s Fall 2025 feature writing workshop hail from Philadelphia, Chicago, the DC area, Texas, New York and Miami. During the second class of our fall feature writing workshop on affording college, our student-journalists got the chance to interview a giant in the field– Sandy Baum, senior fellow in the

November 20, 2025 By Jayne O'Donnell Youthcas t Media Group ® It doesn’t seem possible that it’s already Giving Season; it’s only been a month since Youthcast Media Group’s third annual Student Showcase fundraiser! Truth be told, I’m not sure I’ve recovered from the event prep or  the excitement of doubling   our June 2024 showcase revenue.  YMG's 2025 Student Showcase panelists, (from left) Rossy Soto, a senior at Annandale High School, Yasmeen Abutaleb of The Washington Pos

By Skye-Ali Johnson, Amora Campbell, Heaven Pete and Selah Hart with Josephine Chu October 10, 2020 Youthcast Media Group ® A version of this story was originally posted on Med Shadow Foundation's online publication on July 22, 2020. Antidepressants present a counterintuitive challenge.  The most popular ones have been dogged for decades by claims they can actually increase the risk of suicide, particularly for children. This link is described most often for the class of drug

By Sreehitha Gandluri and Jayne O'Donnell November 20, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® By his mid-20s, Ivan Taylor had been shot, stabbed, lost his best friend to gun violence and graduated from juvenile detention to prison for selling drugs that he used to treat his undiagnosed mental health disorder.  Taylor’s story is one of how guns and drugs took hold of Washington, D.C. in the 1980s and ‘90s, undoing what little progress had been made against structural racism in the nation

By De'Lonn Howard July 23, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® This story was published Aug. 25, 2025 in Black News & Views . Donald Smith can remember riding on the back of a motorcycle when he was four years old. He recalls how it felt to go fast on the highway, and how different it was than driving in a car. “Having the wind blow on your face,” he said. “Wow! A motorcycle was way cooler.” Donald Smith, who grew up riding bikes in D.C., hasn’t been riding as much since the pandemic

By Jayne O'Donnell and Brie Zeltner July 15, 2025 Youthcast Media Group ® It’s become a regular part of new authors’ book marketing on...