This piece is by Isabel Mercado, a writer and a senior at Ventura High School.

I know my future because I know my history.

Ghetto Prison, we won’t stop until we are free

We will rise in the city of fallen angels 

If money is the root of all evil then greed is the seed

Private Prisons, this isn’t livin’

Perhaps we take because nobody is giving

America is a rich man’s vision and a poor man’s ...

Elizabeth D’Amico is a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and a licensed clinical psychologist. She is nationally known for her work on motivational interventions that help adolescents and young adults make healthier decisions, especially around alcohol and drug use. She leads a large and ongoing research project at RAND to examine substance use patterns among teens as they enter young adulthood....

Originally, the mission of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) was to help young people say “No” to drinking and driving. Today, the mission has expanded. Students have told us that positive peer pressure, role modeling, and environmental strategies can prevent other destructive decisions and set a healthier, safer course for their lives. That is why SADD has become a peer-to-peer educat...

The author of this post is going to be a junior in high school in Ventura County in the fall. 

Are you stressed or depressed? Stress and depression are very similar but they have different effects on the body.

Stress is good for you when it motivates you, but not when it wears you down. You can get stress from your job, school, and even at home when you are relaxing. Stress can affect your emoti...

This article was written with information taken from the International Overdose Awareness Day website and Ventura County Responds.

In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31st, here’s some information and resources about the signs and statistics of overdose.

Drug overdose is the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States, causing more deaths than motor ve...

This piece is by Isabel Mercado, a writer and a senior at Ventura High School.

Anxious. The word itself when muttered trembles out of your mouth with the worrisome fear it is being a nuisance in your vocabulary. The “x” in Anxious is much like the feeling, unexpected and quite frankly, uncalled for. Break this word into syllables, An-xious, each flustered on the tip of my tongue represent the une...

This article is based on resources provided by Ventura County Behavioral Health.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among young people aged 16 to 19. Teen drivers are more likely than older drivers to underestimate or not recognize dangerous situations. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a 2011 survey of middle and high school students showed that the number of 1...

Written by a Ventura County high school student.

I have always been curious about my sexuality. I never knew what I was, but I knew I liked girls and boys. I remember feeling tingly whenever I saw a beautiful woman or feeling a wave of shivers down my back whenever a gorgeous woman touched me. This would happen with guys too, but I always knew I liked the male gender. 

I think my most distinctiv...

The following article is from Mental Health America’s website.

July was designated as Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in 2008 to bring awareness to the unique struggles that underrepresented groups face in regard to mental illness in the United States (US).

While the term ‘minority’ is traditionally associated with racial, ethnic, or cultural minorities within the US, Mental Health Americ...

This post was written by Aiden Choi, a senior at the Davidson Academy in Reno, Nevada.

For the past few decades, American obesity rates have been rising at an alarming rate and noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, have long since overtaken contagious diseases as the primary cause of death. Time and time again, studies have shown that sugar in the diet is a huge contributo...

How High Ventura County is an online resource from Ventura County Behavioral Health that addresses the growing need in Ventura County for facts to educate teens and their families about marijuana use. How High Ventura County is a health initiative designed to teach parents and youth that marijuana affects teens differently. From their website,

“It’s not about politics. It’s not about being ‘for’ ...

This post was written by Aiden Choi, a senior at the Davidson Academy in Reno, Nevada.

Undeniably, alcohol has had a profound effect on human history. In the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” regarded as one of the earliest forms of known literature, the drinking of alcohol is equated to the participation of civilization. During their journey aboard the Mayflower, beer served as the pilgrims’ main source of h...