Today on Dayton Youth Radio, we hear from Elizabeth Gaines, a Centerville High School student, about the support she's gotten from youth counselor Ms. Myers. I'm 17, I'm a senior at Centerville High School. I'm in the Marching Band, I'm in the Color Guard, I've been doing that every single year of high school. I'm very shy, I'm very closed off, I like being alone. I like just doing things by myself. When something bad would happen to me, my brain would dwell on it. I remember I was learning how

My name is Sethaniel Weaver. I am 16 years old and attend the Dayton Early College Academy, a millennial in the chaotic fast paced world of the twenty first century. What I see in today’s society that teens are dying left to right from suicide, drugs and even murder. There are things I value in life that I believe have kept me on a path towards positive living and success. Those things that I value are: God, family, and music. I value those things because they have made me the person that I am

This is Kayla Stephensen. I’m sophomore class president at Bellbrook High School. I play soccer for the school and am one of those “hard workers” that isn’t super great at soccer. I mostly make up for it by sheer willpower and speed. Travis, my dad, likes to follow every wild dream he can make up. He wanted to learn the guitar at age 40, and sometimes I walk in on him jamming out. Kasen, my brother, was valedictorian last year. He comes into my room singing, dancing and playing the ukulele. My

Sometimes faith is as simple as sitting down and talking. Today’s Dayton Youth Radio brings us the story of a father and son who did that. And then, the son Andrew Ward wrote about it. My mom kicked my dad out April 27, 2017. My father was an alcoholic for most of my life; he would come home from work and drink beer and rum until he passed out. My mother told my dad he had to complete 90 AA meetings in 90 days. He loved his family and is well respected by the community. However, he couldn’t

There’s school learning, and then there’s life learning. And that is what happened when Jack Long sat down to talk to his family for Dayton Youth Radio. All high school seniors go through a discovery period. We’re about to leave the home we grew up in and the people that surrounded us for eighteen years. So, we instinctively reflect back on our family and our parents. We want to know those crazy stories. We want to know those details that make our parents unique. You might find out that your dad

If you're lucky, you had your own room growing up, a place of refuge and retreat. Today, we have a portrait of a teenager’s room. No pictures just words from Rachel Kahler, a student from Bellbrook High School. My room is a qualifiable mess. There are piles of clothes and books and college material everywhere. My dad Bart, I think, hates my room more than he lets on because it's so messy. When I ask him what he doesn't like, he says, "The clutter, the piles of stuff.." But he also says that

Growing up, for many young people, involves a little fear. But for some teenagers, fears can become so great that it becomes hard to have even a little fun. That’s the subject of today’s Dayton Youth Radio, the first story from our newest class of young radio producers . They are students at Bellbrook High School.

Many students hide depression and at times, they don’t know the signs. Dayton Youth Radio producer Andrew Marrero decided he wanted to explore his struggle with depression and has our essay for today. My name is Andrew Marrero, and I am a student at Stivers School for the Arts. Music has been what's driven me my entire life. That's something I want to do. I want to write my own music, I want to produce my own music. I want to make my mark on the world through music. I grew up in a very loving

There's a large Turkish refugee community in Dayton, some were exiled from Russia several years ago. For today's Dayton Youth Radio producer, balancing the old traditions with the new is doable. Until one family, a big one, showed up for tea. My name is Miriam. I am 17 years old. I go to Stivers School for the Arts. I was born in Russia, raised in the US. Many immigrant families know how difficult it is to grow up in America. I had a tough time learning English because I spoke Turkish fluently.

In the Bible's book of Romans, apostle Paul talks about the struggle, between his spiritual life and the desires of his earthly body. Children raised in a religious home often face challenges to their beliefs as they become teenagers. Today's Dayton Youth Radio story from DaMarion Spencer helps us remember that even Jesus and the disciples were teenagers. I play multiple positions in baseball like second base and pitcher. I love music, and I’m a very religious teenager. I want other teens to