We are thrilled to partner once again with Children’s Institute, Inc. (CII) to provide our Write Now Magazine Workshop this month for some of their clients: middle school children who have been affected by community violence. Children’s Institute, Inc. has been operating for over 100 years and they have recently opened their new headquarters in the Echo Park/Ramparts area: a magnificent center called the Otis Booth Campus (a 48,000 sq. foot, three building complex), which is a safe haven for more than 5,000 children and their families in one of L.A.’s most challenged communities.

Exploring Life Through Writing

Create Now has partnered with Children’s Institute, Inc. for over 11 years, providing them with wonderful programs in writing, theatre and art, plus tickets to cultural events like Cirque du Soleil, Ford Amphitheatre and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. As a result, they have hired our organization to provide their youth with a summer writing course. We collaborated to customize our Write Now literacy program to meet the needs of the children they serve. It was decided to offer them the chance to create their own magazine, which highlights their personal stories.

Justine Cogan is a professional screenwriter and journalist who also teaches writing to high school and middle school students at an afterschool enrichment program. She was selected to mentor the youth at CII and the kids in her workshop have really enjoyed her classes. She puts them together on different teams to get them to open up and brainstorm ideas, which helps break the ice for timid youth. As a result, some of the kids are already coming out of their shells.

"This is a great age to learn about the flexibility of stories — that they can change, that they can end surprisingly, and that they often depend on how you look at things," said Justine. "Storytelling is also a great exercise at this age because it gives young people a chance to flex their muscles and control a story.

"Some of the exercises I'm using include telling the same story from three different points of view (including using a carton of milk as a narrator), writing a group story with each student writing one line and also, telling a story in a three-panel comic strip to teach structure (beginning, middle, end)."

Students in our Write Now Magazine Workshop range from 11-15 years old. They signed up to participate in the classes for different reasons. "I would like to learn how to write amazing stories," said Samantha.

Francisco said, "I want to write better."

Argelis Ortiz, Director of Youth Services at CII remarked, "The collaboration between our agencies provides our youth, not just with another ‘program,’ but with an opportunity to find their voice through creative writing.

A parent of one of the youth participating has attempted to enroll her daughter in our other summer programming. Unfortunately it has been a challenge to find a good match, because the youth’s interest/heart has not been in it. However, in this creative writing course, this youth has begun to flourish and her creativity has come out since day one.

Because of the latter example, we take joy in partnering with agencies such as Create Now because we never know which new opportunity will spark a positive change in our youth and families."

The kids will get to recite their writing and see them displayed on posters at our culmination party on August 31st, where they will receive gift bags and Certificates of Completion, and have the opportunity to present their creative writing to families, friends, peers and CII staff. Best of all, each student will receive a color copy of their original magazine that will be a lasting souvenir.

We look forward to reading these youngsters’ stories and also partnering with Children’s Institute, Inc. to bring more programs to the youth at Otis Booth Campus as they learn how to Write Now.