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YCteen publishes true stories by teens, giving readers insight into the issues that matter most in young people's lives.
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 YCteen Lesson Guide
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Identity (36 found)
Note: These stories are from YCteen and its sister publication, Represent, which is written by and for youth in foster care.
Mason's journey to find a name that better fits their identity leads them on a path of self-reflection that eventually brings fulfilling results. (full text)
Frustrated by school experiences that devalue her identity, Christina writes, “I don’t have to conform to this one-dimensional caricature of what it means to be black.” (full text)
“I have learned that my disability isn’t the only part of my identity, and that my personality is more important,” says the writer. (full text)
Lisbeth is bullied about her looks when she’s younger but upon reflection, and with the support of the women in her family, she creates her own definition of beauty. (full text)
The writer wants to feel accepted by her friend group so she accentuates the Puerto Rican side of her identity although she feels uncomfortable doing so. (full text)
Gabby writes about her journey from feeling "ashamed of the dark body hair that I associated with being Latina and non-white," to being proud of her Ecuadorian identity. (full text)
Mason's journey to find a name that better fits their identity leads them on a path of self-reflection that eventually brings fulfilling results. (full text)
Saswhat reads a book about personalities that affords him the chance to "grow by looking inward." (full text)
Atl reviews the novel, "The Go-Between," and interviews the author Veronica Chambers about how they both identify with the main character, who is an immigrant. (full text)
Yousef defies the stereotype that only women suffer from insecurities about their bodies. “I feel like no one realizes men can feel the same way,” he writes. (full text)
Shameera surprises herself when she’s able to remain strong and brave during two natural disasters. Inspired by her courage in handling these situations, she attempts to conquer her biggest fear: public speaking. (full text)
Shameera is weary of being compared to her accomplished older brother. She strategizes to carve out her own identity. (full text)
Bernadette was shy and insecure. In an effort to become more outgoing and confident, she joins several youth councils. (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)
Aissata, an immigrant from Senegal, is stunned by her classmates’ ignorance about Africa. We do wear shoes, she writes, and don't have lions for pets. (full text)
The author writes about his ongoing exploration of his sexuality and why bisexual is his current placeholder. He says, “concrete and permanent labels don’t describe how we feel during the discovery process.” (full text)
DeAnna comes out to her mother as bisexual and gets a surprising response. Eventually, she identifies as a "full-time lesbian." (full text)
Meghan is the only white girl in Anita's junior high grade. When Anita, a black person, befriends Meghan, she learns about a culture she never experienced before. (full text)
Samantha, who is black, has a difficult adjustment to the overwhelmingly white University of Michigan. (full text)
In junior high school, Nesshell was ostracized by her peers for "acting white." More recently, she was taunted and called the N-word by white kids in a chat room. Labeled on both sides, she wonders in frustration whether people are capable of seeing her for herself. (full text)
Margarita introduces the race issue by explaining that, while it may be uncomfortable to speak honestly about race and ethnicity, it's a necessary step toward racial healing. (full text)
Although she’s spent years in foster care, the author fears losing her identity if she is adopted. (full text)
Isma is a religious Muslim who reads the Qur’an and prays daily. She also loves punk rock. (full text)
When Zaineb arrives in the U.S. from Pakistan, she faces pressure to abandon her cultural beliefs. (full text)
Dwan is teased by fellow blacks for “acting white” and wonders why people can’t be more open-minded. (full text)
Tichelle and her fellow high school cheerleaders aren't taken seriously and she thinks it's because they're girls. She feels they should get more respect: not only do they pump up the crowd, but cheerleading demands skill, discipline, and lots of practice. (full text)
Xavier is prejudiced against homosexuals and therefore terrified when he finds himself attracted to men. (full text)
Anita is raised to believe that being a “good Indian girl” means having long hair. Then she gets a haircut. (full text)
Jamal speaks standard English, can’t dance, and prefers baseball to basketball. Does this mean he’s less black than his peers? (full text)
Omar feels ashamed that the "normal" kids have parents and he's in foster care, so he tries various ways to hide his group home identity. But when his friend Joseph finds out the truth and accepts him, Omar begins to accept himself. (full text)
The author is forced by her mother and stepfather to be the maid and nanny to her younger half-siblings. In kinship care, she's allowed to be a child again. (full text)
Jessica introduces the Identity issue by recounting her journey from creating personas like "tomboy" and "pretty girl" to looking inward for the qualities that make her her. (full text)
Christina feels unconnected to her name. She doesn't know her father, her mother abused her, and her last name can probably be traced back to slavemasters. She tries out some new names. (full text)
Activities for groups include writing about their names and exploring oppression and prejudice in the story "The Fairest of Them All" and their own lives (full text)
Adrian is nonbinary and is often questioned about the legitimacy of their gender. They wonder why queer history is never taught in school and research cultures around the world that accept nonbinary people. (full text)
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