Happy Holidays from WriteGirl
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We blew the roof off the Music Center at the WriteGirl Songwriting Workshop a couple of weeks ago. Every teen girl – all 70 of them – was paired for the day with a woman writer. Twenty singer/songwriters joined us, to help coach our girls in writing song lyrics and offer insights into their creative processes. We listened to songs and analyzed their structure. We danced. We wrote about things we are passionate about.
Then, at the end of the 6-hour workshop, the songwriters set some of the girls' lyrics to music, on the spot, instantly. There were songs that soared, songs that rippled along gently, songs that got you tapping & moving, and one song that delivered goosebumps pretty much universally to everyone in the room because of the exquisite combination of the message and the music.
Last month, we had a similar "happening" at our Journalism workshop – there were 150 women & girls in attendance, and over 15 accomplished journalists and speakers. And coming up in 2015 – poetry, creative nonfiction, comedy and scene/monologue workshops!
I love that we can give girls experiences that lift their hopes and up their skills. I love that so many women contribute their time to mentor girls. I'm so grateful, especially, for our mentors that travel to schools every week to inspire teen girls and encourage their voices.
More than 300 girls participated in WriteGirl this past year. We presented over 150 workshops, on everything from poetry to journalism. And this fall, 40 of our girls entered a new phase of their lives, heading off to colleges all over the country. I go to sleep at night with a smile, thinking about them and knowing that they are on their way.
Won't you help us make 2015 a year for girls to remember? A year where we can reduce our waiting list of girls who need mentors? A year with more roof-raising and more goosebumps? A year where WriteGirl can continue to present exciting educational programs for the girls of Los Angeles?
We invite you to support WriteGirl with a generous tax-deductible financial donation. Your gift is vital to our success – we promise to use it well.
Thank you, from all of us at WriteGirl.
Keren Taylor, Executive Director, WriteGirl
