Every March for many years, up to 200 students from multiple schools, especially underserved urban and rural public schools, gathered on the UMass Amherst campus to participate in the Western Massachusetts Writing Project’s Youth Writing Adventure, including interactive writing workshop sessions spanning genres from short stories to poetry to screenplays to songs.

Every year, that is, until funding cuts discontinued the program for a decade. However, two years ago, generous supporters revived the Youth Writing Adventure through crowdfunding. Popular among students, this program offers creative and exploratory literacy experiences for underserved youth, who often lack similar opportunities in their regular educational programs.

The impact of WMWP’s Youth Writing Adventure lasts far beyond the day of the program. A full-day college campus experience with lunch and materials introduces a sense of confidence and belonging within campus scholarship for students who may never have imagined a place in college, and after the workshop students polish their pieces for publication and receive a paperback anthology of their writing.

In order to make the 2018 Youth Writing Adventure a possibility, WMWP has launched a MinuteFund crowdfunding  campaign with a goal of $5,000 by the end of 2017 to fund the program, including workshops, lunches, and publications. We have reached 11% of that goal on the first few days of the campaign. Can you help put us over?

Check out this short video to learn more about the program: 

Chalk Talk is a monthly column in the Daily Hampshire Gazette that gives voice to educators. This summer we're featuring some past columns by WMWP teachers who have written about their students, education, and themselves. We invite you to read what teachers are saying and to encourage awareness of educators in the public sphere.

This week's offering is by librarian and professional development coordinator Leslie Skantz-Hodgson, who writes about the importance of teaching argumentation across the disciplines. To read the full story, click on the quotation.

Chalk Talk is a monthly column in the Daily Hampshire Gazette that gives voice to educators. This summer we're featuring some past columns by WMWP teachers who have written about their students, education, and themselves. We invite you to read what teachers are saying and to encourage awareness of educators in the public sphere.

This week's offering is by ELL teacher Katie Richardson, who writes that teachers must be "willing to be disturbed" to respond to changing needs in schools. To read the full story, click on the quotation.