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September-October 2017

How the internet helped me come out

On the importance of online connections and mentorship for queer teens

Sidney Drmay@webspookie

It’s 1:30 a.m., and I’m in my family’s living room giggling and staring at my laptop screen. I’ve been online for 10 hours in a chatroom with a rotating cast of friends. We have members from every time zone, scattered across the globe; the Australians are just coming online while some of the Americans are logging off. […] More »
July-August 2017

Inside the strange but educational world of unschooling

Proponents of a new education movement say kids can learn outside of structured classrooms. Traditional educators can learn from it, too

Tyler Hein

When most kids in his age are in a classroom learning angles, Ben Hewitt’s son is making a bow. He’s testing the string and the flex of the wood. He shoots an arrow and figures out which angle makes the arrow fly the farthest, flinging them around the Vermont acreage the Hewitts call home. He’s been […] More »
July-August 2017

Death to the personal brand

In today’s hot job market, professionals are encouraged to sell themselves. But what happens to our sense of worth when we’re commodified?

Marcia Walker

A few years ago, at a freelancing workshop, I participated in an exercise about the power of personal branding. I had my doubts but was not quick enough to duck out, like other attendees. It was the dreaded “get to know you” session of the workshop. We moved our chairs to the centre of the […] More »
May-June 2017

Inside the search from hell Canadian millennials must undergo for affordable housing

Nadine Bachan—like many young Canadians—spent months trying to find an apartment she could afford in Vancouver's market

Nadine Bachan

Four strangers are congregating by my doorway. I cautiously step outside and the most well-dressed of them extends his hand and makes introductions. He’s the real-estate agent and the others are his team. I say hello then retreat back inside, listening to the muffled voices outside my window. I live in the garden suite—an elegant synonym for […] More »
July-August 2014

Screen saver

Laura TretheweyWebsite@ltrethew

The importance of thinking before you click Online media has monetized humanity’s rubbernecking reflex like never before. “Clickbait,” as defined by Urban Dictionary, is an “eye-catching link on a website which encourages people to read on. It is often paid for by the advertiser or generates income on the number of clicks.” Clickbait is now […] More »