Los Angeles, CA. The WriteGirl mentoring program has taken to zoom this summer and seen some unexpected benefits. Every year, the LA-based nonprofit matches over 500 girls with mentors; it also provides workshops and college guidance. WriteGirl has managed to keep its participation numbers high during the pandemic as girls who had transportation issues found it easier to be online. The organization boasts a thriving volunteer community with over 200 volunteers working as mentors, college counselors, and volunteers in the nonprofit’s program helping young women who are incarcerated.
WriteGirl Poetry Workshop at Otis College during pre-covid days.
Ever since the shift to Zoom in March, WriteGirl has faced new challenges and introduced innovative tools and activities. Program coordinators lament the fact that not all of their students are staying connected. Keren Taylor, the executive director of WriteGirl, explains, “We don’t know the reason, is it the tech divide or family? Sometimes our young people don’t come forward to tell us what is going on because of stress or family conditions.”
Taylor noted that volunteers are equipped with new online tools to engage students and to be more empathic. “We work with many students of color, who are struggling with the protests.” She explains that “the strangeness of our governmental response” has put a strain on students of color. “Add that to a mix and you really have a volatile situation for those girls, this is why we added self-care tools like exercise, going to bed early, and eating properly.”
A previous WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop
WriteGirl was launched in December 2001 to bring the skills and energy of professional women writers to teenage girls who do not otherwise have access to creative writing or mentoring programs.
WriteGirl is facing unforeseen expenses from tools such as Zoom and other needed software. On top of that, Taylor anticipates seeing the impact of COVID-19 on their fundraising programs over the next three to four months. “We expect it to be a very hard time,” said Taylor.
Another looming challenge to WriteGirl is the changing nature of education. “People used to come away energized from our meetings being part of the culture, society, and nature,” Taylor said. “Looking ahead, we’re facing zoom fatigue because everything is online including friends and school.” Taylor understands that her organization may not be the same but she believes it’s important to focus on their strengths, “our strength is in the depth of our training and the impact of our volunteers.” WriteGirl doesn’t plan to sit idle and is conducting surveys and initiating one on one calls with the participants to see how they’re being affected.
Taylor understands says the COVID-19 pandemic presents more challenges, but the nonprofit must continue giving young women something they can’t get anywhere else. “We might be in a pandemic right now but 10 years from now, those young people we’re training will be the ones saving us,” she added.
From WriteGirl:
Within a community of women writers, WriteGirl promotes creativity and self-expression to empower girls.
WriteGirl is a Los Angeles-based creative writing and mentoring organization that spotlights the power of a girl and her pen. At WriteGirl, we match girls with women writers who mentor them in creative writing. WriteGirl is a thriving community with 200 volunteer women writers serving more than 500 girls annually. Every year, we produce dozens of workshops, panel discussions, and special events to help girls get creative, get through high school, and get to college! In fact, since 2001, 100% of our graduating seniors have entered college, many on full or partial scholarships.
Through one-on-one mentoring and monthly creative writing workshops, girls are given techniques, insights, and hot topics for great writing in all genres from professional women writers. Workshops and mentoring sessions explore poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, songwriting, journalism, screenwriting, playwriting, persuasive writing, journal writing, editing, and more.
You can donate at this link: https://www.writegirl.org/donate
