Basim Blunt

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 school and had a normal day until I got to the gym.

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.

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. 

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 I've ever been.

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.

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. 

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. 

Today on Dayton Youth Radio we have a story about listening carefully when fathers and sons talk; sharing family history, ideas and politics. Today, we will share one conversation where son and father trade ideas. They are white, and next week, we'll hear from an African American father and son.

This week on Dayton Youth Radio, we have a story from Centerville High School student Sarah Weymouth about parents communicating with their teenagers.

You know your kids better than anyone else right? Inside and out, right? I’m sure that’s how my dad felt, up until last week when i gave him a reality check. My parents got divorced when I was 7 years old. Before then, we all lived together happily in our little ranch style home in suburban Centerville, Ohio.

Today on Dayton Youth Radio we have a story, from the Dayton Early College Academy by Malia Hampshire about the joy of reading.

My name is Malia Hampshire. I go to Dayton Early College Academy. I love to bake cupcakes, and trains scare me.  I love to read - like really love reading.  I have an overactive imagination and sometimes need an outlet.  I needed to find something that was very productive.