by Raghda Obeidat | 19 Apr 2019 | Contest winners, Islam, King's Academy, Middle East, Student Posts, Women, Youth Voices
Many Westerners hold misconceptions about Middle Eastern women. They are not powerless, and Islam is compatible with women’s rights. Candidates wave during a rally ahead of parliamentary elections in Jordan, 2 September 2016. (EPA/Jamal Nasrallah) This is the...
by Raghda Obeidat | 12 Apr 2019 | Contest winners, King's Academy, Middle East, Student Posts, Youth Voices
Jordan has long been a peaceful center in a tumultuous region. But the Syrian crisis has forced it to revisit a thorny social problem: child marriages. This article is the first of a six-part series on women’s rights in the Middle East. Winner of first prize in our...
by Elisabeth Wachtel | 5 Apr 2019 | Contest winners, Europe, Personal Reflections, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Youth Voices
I’m a New Yorker studying in France. I now realize a president doesn’t define a country and there are constructive ways to talk about politics. (Courtesy of GetDrawings) Since arriving in France over six months ago, I’ve had the same conversation many times...
by My Van | 2 Apr 2019 | Art, Contest winners, Personal Reflections, Student Posts, Westover School, Youth Voices
Everyone prayed I would be a boy. I was born a baby girl. My photographs show how the genders “girl” and “boy” can coexist as they interact. Two figures standing in two doorways in front of a multicolored cyclorama, one figure bathed in green...
by Abigael Abuga | 7 Mar 2019 | Africa, African Leadership Academy, Contest winners, Student Posts, Women
My family’s helper told me “being single” is her greatest challenge. She showed me an incredible Kenyan welfare group that supports single women. When I asked Dorine, the helper who lives with my family, about her greatest challenges, she quickly...
by James Langan and Luca Pieretti | 4 Jun 2018 | Contest winners, Contests, Environment, Student Posts, Thacher School, Youth Voices
We knew the dangers of California’s drought. Soon the rush of school life muffled the warning. Until a raging fire awakened us from our indifference. The view from Thacher’s Outdoor Chapel features the pristine Topa Topa Mountains of the Ojai Valley. (Photo...
by News Decoder | 1 Jun 2018 | Contest winners, Contests, La Jolla Country Day School, Student Posts, Youth Voices
The media sensationalizes wildfires, overlooking beneficial effects that fire can have nature. Journalists need to take a more sophisticated approach. A firefighter lights a “backfire” to contain the Rocky Fire near Clearlake, California, 3 August 2015. (AP Photo/Josh...
by Emma Juvan | 30 May 2018 | Art, Contest winners, Contests, Environment, Student Posts, United States, Westover School, Youth Voices
Humans are driving climate change — a fact many ignore. So I have captured our changing landscape in photos that show the consequences. Melting map of climate change patterns (all photos by Emma Juvan) This story shared first prize in the photography category in...
by Rand Al-Harahsheh | 29 May 2018 | Contest winners, Contests, King's Academy, Middle East, Student Posts, Syria, Youth Voices
When Syrian refugees started flooding into Jordan, citizens in my city were angry and concerned. But with time and investment, tensions have eased. Syrian refugee children at the Za’atari refugee camp near Mafraq, Jordan, 19 March 2014. (EPA/Jamal Nasrallah) This...
by Madeleine Steele | 25 May 2018 | Art, Contest winners, Contests, Environment, Student Posts, Westover School, Youth Voices
I’ve always wanted to show how overfishing harms ocean life and fish populations. My photo essay lets you know you can make a difference. The unsustainable killing of fish demands that consumers become more empathetic. (All photos by Madeleine Steele) This story...