Young caregiver and experts talk about the challenges of being a youth caregiver By Yesenia Barrios Abigail Gafter was 12 years old when she started taking care of her great uncle. He was obese, had substance use disorder, and depression. “It’s almost like being a parent with a newborn going ‘okay, where do I have...
Tag: Story
College Corner: Original YMG student Erin Burnett aims to be major player in broadcast news; ‘It was what I have been put on Earth to do’
By Aileen Delgado Erin Burnett, 20, is a sophomore at the University of Maryland College Park studying Broadcast Journalism, and was among the 20 students who formed the first Youthcast Media Group (then Urban Health Media Project) class in 2017. Erin Burnett, part of Youthcast Media Group’s inaugural class, is now a sophomore in college...
How a counselor shortage is hurting students struggling with anxiety, depression
School counselor retention was already a problem before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to mental health experts. They said it's only gotten worse in recent years. By Nicole Cortes, Zioni Moore and Whitney Souffrant This story was published to USA TODAY on April 21, 2022. It's a typical school day at Miami Lakes Educational Center located in this northwestern...
OMG! We’re YMG now. Here’s Y …
By Jayne O'Donnell Hi, I’m Jayne from Youthcast Media Group™ (YMG). Boy, it’s going to be awhile before that rolls off my tongue. But it’s true — starting this week — so let me explain. In late 2016, former Washington public health commissioner Dr. Reed Tuckson and I formed a health journalism training program for...
“When it comes to creating change, it’s not a sprint–it’s a marathon”
By Yesenia Barrios, Urban Health Media Project Victoria Waltz was 17 years old when she attempted suicide by overdosing on Vicodin. It wasn’t until she woke up in the hospital and doctors said they feared for her safety that she realized she had depression. Waltz, raised in a Black Christian family that didn’t believe in...
Illegal dumping in the Bronx isn’t just ugly – it’s a health hazard
By Yesenia Barrios This story was published in the Bronx Times on April 4, 2022. On a cold Sunday afternoon, Mike Cintron is sweeping the sidewalk in front of his home on Rosedale Avenue in the Bronx. The wind has scattered garbage from piles of waste paper, household trash, broken furniture and used electronics that...
Together, Philly mom and son cope with mental health issues
By Aileen Delgado and Julianne Hill This article was published in the Philadelphia Tribune on March 29, 2022. At two-and-a-half years old, Elijah Tillman was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder after getting expelled from day care. At 5, he experienced a traumatic episode, causing post-traumatic stress disorder. At 12, major depressive disorder was added to...
When the local barber’s chair becomes a therapist’s couch
By Shawna James This article ran in print and online in the Philadelphia Tribune on March 15, 2022. PHILADELPHIA — When you walk into “Clean Is Mandatory” in North Philadelphia, everything looks like a normal barbershop. A fish tank hums, the 76ers are on the mounted flat-screen TV, and clients sit on couches waiting for...
After 5 years, 170 students and scores of published stories, we’re just getting started
By Jayne O'Donnell Thursday night, March 9, 2017, two groups of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore teenagers gathered at Howard University to celebrate the launch of the Urban Health Media Project, now Youthcast Media Group (YMG), a new community-focused journalism program targeting high school students of color from under-resourced parts of the cities. The youngest were...
Foster children at high risk for a multitude of mental health problems
By Yesenia Barrios Lisa Cohen had to start over 13 times. As a foster kid she needed to find new friends at each new school at each home where she was placed. One time, after being forced to leave a foster home she loved, she woke up in her new home with cuts in her...