by Micah Earnest | 24 Mar 2023 | Educators' Catalog, Health and Wellness, Student Posts, Tatnall School, Youth Voices
Extracurricular activities and sports can help students gain admission to university. But is the need to ace exams and win one for the team too much pressure? Photo illustration of teen athletes against a backdrop of grades and college application. This article, by...
Youth correspondent Micah Earnest of News Decoder partner The Tatnall School gives us a glimpse into the life of a student athlete in an article that asks us to redefine “success” for young people. With mounting pressure to succeed in academics and extracurricular activities, some student athletes with college aspirations are seeing declines in mental health. What can we do to change that?
Exercise: Have students read the article, then launch a discussion to answer the question that appears at the end of the text: “What can we do for people now and future generations to make schooling a better learning space for high schoolers who want to succeed without feeling inferior to others if they do not do a sport or reach the top 1% of their class?” You may consider using the Think-Pair-Share protocol for this discussion (i.e. Students think and jot down notes independently, discuss with one partner and finally, volunteers share ideas with the class.).
by Alfonso Silva-Santisteban | 20 Mar 2023 | Americas, Human Rights, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
With the killing of six sex workers in Lima this year already, people are calling on the government to address the unequal treatment of transgender people. A group of transgender women protest outside the police station in downtown Lima, Peru. Since the beginning of...
by Pénélope Flouret and Goldie Zarabi | 14 Mar 2023 | Contest winners, Health and Wellness, Hewitt, Student Posts, United States, Women, Youth Voices
If you are in need of an abortion in the United States, you might have to travel cross the country to get one. Or a clinic could be just blocks away. A woman enters Alamo Women’s Reproductive Services, Thursday, 7 October 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. The clinic...
by News Decoder | 13 Mar 2023 | Contest winners, Health and Wellness, Realgymnasium Rämibühl Zürich, Science, Student Posts, Youth Voices
I had five screws implanted in my back at age 13. Then I learned of spinal implants improperly tested. Can we know if medical procedures are safe? Photo illustration of a doctor examining a woman’s spine. (Credit: Albina Gavrilovic) This article was authored by...
by Riya Patel | 7 Mar 2023 | Student Posts, Tatnall School, Youth Voices
It isn’t difficult to find a caring home for one cat or dog. But millions roam the world and there aren’t enough shelters. What do we do with them all? Stella, a gray cat, waits to be adopted. Credit: Riya Patel This article, by high school student Riya...
by Joyce Yang | 6 Mar 2023 | News Decoder alumni, News Decoder Updates, Thacher School
Equestrian, artist and writer Li Keira Yin is finding her footing in Boston after graduating from News Decoder partner school The Thacher School. Former News Decoder Student Ambassador, Li Keira Yin. (Li Keira Yin) When a student has four stories published on News...
by Shefali Malhotra | 3 Mar 2023 | Africa, Educators' Catalog, Government, Technology, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
If a government agency stores the DNA and fingerprints of its residents can it serve them more efficiently or control them more effectively? (Image: News Decoder) A year after Kenya’s historic digital identity program was declared illegal, the Kenyan government is...
As more countries around the world adopt digital identification systems, concerns about the legality of such programs have come to the fore. This month, University of Toronto global journalism fellow Shefali Malhotra walks us through arguments for and against the implementation of digital IDs in Kenya.
Exercise: As students are reading the article, have them create a list of arguments for and against the implementation of digital IDs. Then, have students write a paragraph on whether or not they support adopting digital IDs in your country. The paragraph should include arguments around at least two of the following subtopics: data protection (legal), privacy (personal & commercial), internet penetration/the digital divide, potential discrimination against vulnerable groups. To extend the activity, students can engage in a structured debate with classmates after writing their paragraphs.
by Aiden Huber | 28 Feb 2023 | Health and Wellness, Student Posts, Tatnall School, Youth Voices
People of lesser means have few food buying choices where they live, while supermarkets seem to crop up where markets already thrive. Can we change that? Photo illustration by News Decoder. This article, by high school student Aiden Huber, was produced out of News...
by Sara Kane | 22 Feb 2023 | Health and Wellness, Student Posts, Tatnall School, Youth Voices
Few countries have policies on sex education. In the United States, policies vary from state to state and might depend on whether a school is public or private. Books used to teach sex education. Credit: Sara Kane. This article, by high school student Sara Kane, was...
by Nicole Ransome | 20 Feb 2023 | Health and Wellness, Sports, Student Posts, Tatnall School, Youth Voices
There are health benefits to an active lifestyle. But if you like to sit in the stands or watch from the sofa, perhaps a different kind of workout takes place. A man watches a football game on television. (Credit: Tarik Kızılkaya Getty Images Signature) This article,...
