Fundraisers needed!

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YourWords STL is a nonprofit that provides one-on-one tutoring, creative writing workshops, and collaborative writing projects to amplify the voices of St. Louis youth.

We work to bridge racial, cultural, and economic divides, by honing the ability of people to tell their stories, while providing opportunities for the ears and hearts of the community to listen.

In the past year, YourWords STL has been able to partner with schools, community leaders, partner organizations, and artists to bring stories of our young people out into the light. We are proud of the 4 programs that resulted in published books for our young writers the past year. We reached around 1000 students in person through our weekly workshops, collaborations with classrooms, and our April Poetry Month weekend with Young Chicago Author's Nate Marshall and Kevin Coval. These achievements were made possible by donations and grant support throughout the past year.

This fall, we will continue our regular workshops with the young men at Drury House in Marygrove Children's Home as well as the young women at Lift for Life Gym. We are proud to expand workshops to the female writers at Marygrove's Sequoia House, whose residents range from 16-20-years-old. We also plan to continue our collaborative projects bridging student voices from across the divides of our city.

As we expand, talented and experienced artists and educators have come forward to lead the weekly sessions. YourWords STL is devoted to supporting local art, not only by working with young writers but also by striving to compensate the teaching artists for their invaluable work on the weekly dynamic workshops.

Program Director Anna Ojascastro Guzon stated at our April Louder Than a Bomb Screening, "We think that this kind of education will heal not only a person but it can heal a community." Please consider donating or buying a t-shirt to help bring artists and young writers together this fall and spring. YourWords STL will work with these young people to create a nurturing space for their narratives and their creative writing. We need volunteers with experience planning fundraising events as well as new volunteers looking to learn these skills. We are a creative organization open to original ideas as well as tried-and-true classics!