Most of us know our culture's classic myths and fairytales about Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and Little Red Riding Hood: But how does it feel when a young person learns the truth about the stories handed down from generation to generation. This week on Dayton Youth Radio we'll find out from one teenager who has some strong feelings about how parents lovingly mislead their kids. My name is Malina Hampshire, and I am 16 years old. My favorite color is blue; the color blue is like way better than

Young writers are often advised to "write what you know," and we've found that the young people of Dayton Youth Radio do just that. In the beginning of our radio class, project coordinator Basim Blunt holds a microphone and tells the students that they can ask anyone anything. Today, Centerville High School student Camrin O'Flaherty asks her mom for some answers. My name is Camrin O’Flaherty. I am 17 years old from Centerville, Ohio. I wanted to show parents what your children are going through

Firefighters have two families, the one that they run into burning buildings with and the one that waits for them at home. As Dayton Youth Radio contributors work on these stories, they sometimes interview their parents, and this is the center of Lillian Ferguson’s story; a rainy night, and a bad accident that her father responded to. I never really worried about my dad when I was little. Everyone thought I was so cool with my dad being a firefighter. He sees dead people every day, sees people

Health and strength seem like a given when we're young. And so, for a teenager to have a near death story is somewhat unusual. When I met Scott Lyttle at a meeting of our radio class, he told me he was 19 years old, and I wanted to know why he was still in high school. He shared the story of his lost year. I’m Scott Lyttle, a 19- year old that goes to Ponitz. I also like to draw. I want to tell you a story about the day my life almost changed last year. I woke up, got ready for school. I got to

When there is drug overdose, the Center for Disease Control adds it to the statistics. And Ohio is at the top for drug deaths. Dayton Youth Radio producer Carmen Tibbs, told our youth radio class that Dayton had the highest mortality rates from drug overdoses in the country. I remember wondering why would a 17-year old know such a grim and compelling statistic. It was December 3, 2013, a Tuesday in the middle of my eighth grade year and had just turned fourteen. I walked in from school and

Dayton Youth Radio gives teenagers a chance to tell their own stories, in their own words. And we hear them trying to make sense of the world. We hope that stories like this promote dialogue and openness with the young people you care about. The country has been talking non stop about sexual assault and harassment. And it turns out that this is a conversation young people are having and urging others to join them. My name is Adriana Harris, and I'm a 17 year old African American teenager. I want

Last month a judge in Cincinnati ruled that a transgender boy has the right to leave his parents and pursue hormone replacement therapy. He now lives with his grandparents. Most transgender people come up against state and local laws as they grow up in the country and Ohio. Here is a Dayton Youth Radio story from Sophia Horner. I'm 17. I was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. I go to Stivers School for the Arts, and I'm in creative writing and theater and I love it. It's one of the greatest places

So many of us have records on shelves or in the basement. And chances are the record player is long gone. But, Zoe Williams, of Dayton Youth Radio is here to tell us that teenagers are glad we didn’t throw the vinyl away. I'm Zoe. I'm a senior at Stivers School for the Arts, and I'm also slightly obsessed with JD Salinger. Ever notice how kids these days are into old stuff? We post pictures of polaroids on social media; we pride ourselves for listening to the Beatles. Even our sense of style

A lot of us have been tuned into the Olympics this week, but it's good to remember that some young people have their own private races. My name is Hezikiah, which means God's strength. All my life I felt I was different. My teachers and adults in my life would say I had a nice smile, but one thing that really set me apart was my voice; some people would think that I was a girl just from the way that I talked. When I was in 5th grade at Rosa Parks Elementary, I used to get bullied a lot. Kids at

Fathers and sons exchange a lot by being together. Put a microphone in the hands of the son and he will have many questions. This month we offer two conversations from Dayton Youth Radio. Last week we heard from John Hahn, a teen and his father - a white family. They spoke about race and politics and this week, Centerville High School student Dom Ramsey and his father, who are African American, travel that same landscape. My parents grew up in a much different time with much different