CHOOSE YOUR STORY
Global Health includes stories about health science, inequities, mental health, outbreaks and epidemics, food security, clean water, and more. Explore the stories below to find one that moves you. Then, use this worksheet to support you with writing your Fighting Words poem.
Stories for Grades 3 and Up
| STORY | MEDIA | PUBLICATION | CONTENT WARNINGS |
| “This ‘Super Banana’ Was Designed To Save Lives. Will It Matter That It’s Orange?” by Agostino Petroni | Text | National Geographic | N/A |
| “Public Health Impact of the Drainage System in Lagos: A Photo Essay” by Precious Williams | Photo, Text | Pulitzer Center | N/A |
| “How Nurses Overcome Challenges While Treating Patients With Limited English Proficiency” by William Brangham and Caleb Hellerman | Video with transcript | PBS NewsHour | N/A |
Stories for Grades 6 and Up
| STORY | MEDIA | PUBLICATION | CONTENT WARNINGS |
| “‘I Just Don’t Want To Die’: Black Pregnant Women Are Turning to Midwives for Personalized Care—And a Better Chance at Survival” by Karen Kasmauski and Louis Hansen | Photo, Audio, Text | Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism | N/A |
| “Colombia: The Body as Territory” by Tracy Barnett, Hernán Vilchez, and Álvaro Sepúlveda | Video | The Esperanza Project | N/A |
| “The Struggle for Food Sovereignty in Immokalee, Florida” by Julia Knoerr | Photo, Text | Civil Eats | Brief mention of sexual violence |
| “Companies Are Selling AI Therapy. Should You Buy It?” by Ben Rein | TikTok video with transcript | OpenMind Magazine | N/A |
| “How a Tobacco Giant Changed a Global Anti-Tobacco Treaty” by Jason McClure and Stanley Leung | Video | The Examination | Brief disturbing images (anti-smoking PSA) |
| “Toxic Water in S. Texas Colonias Costs Residents Precious Health and Money” by Carolina Cuellar | Audio, Text | Texas Public Radio | N/A |
| “Lebanon: Drama Therapist Helps Inmates With Mental Illnesses While Pushing for Reform” by Meera Santhanam | Photo, Text | Middle East Eye | N/A |
Stories for Grades 9 and Up
| STORY | MEDIA | PUBLICATION | CONTENT WARNINGS |
| “Love in the Time of Sickle Cell Disease” by Krithika Varagur | Text | Harper’s Magazine | N/A |
| “Why Are Alaska’s Rivers Turning Orange?” by Alec Luhn | Photo, Text | Scientific American | N/A |
| “How the World’s Deadliest Crises Go Unseen” by Amy Maxmen | Photo, Text | Undark Magazine | Descriptions of violence |
| Conversations With Sydney Episode 2: "Talking to Teens About Suicide" by Micah Fink and Sydney Fink | Audio | WBGO Studios | Discussion of suicide and mental health crises |
| "On the Navajo Nation, a Life Without Water" by Richard Tsong-Taatarii | Photo, Text | Searchlight New Mexico | N/A |
| “The Vice of Spice: Confronting Lead-Tainted Turmeric” by Wudan Yan | Photo, Text | Undark Magazine | N/A |
| “Volunteer Networks in Mexico Aid At-home Abortions Without Involving Doctors or Clinics. They’re Coming to Texas.” by Alex Ura and Greta Díaz González Vázquez | Video, Photo, Text | The Texas Tribune | N/A |
| “How an Algorithm Denied Food to Thousands of Poor in India’s Telangana” by Tapasya, Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava, and Divij Joshi | Video, Photo, Text | Al Jazeera | N/A |
| “Addiction Ravaged My Family and Tribe. I’m Fighting To Get Them Back.” by Judith Surber and Justin Maxon | Photo, Text | The New York Times | Descriptions of drug addiction and overdose |
| “Karoshi: A Deep Look Into Japan’s Unforgiving Working Culture” by Marcus Santillanes | Text | Pulitzer Center | Discussion of suicide and mental health crises |
| “Those Who Don’t Exist: Long COVID in Mexico” by Alice Pipitone and Quetzalli Blanco | Video, Photo, Text | palabra. | N/A |
