Earlier this year, Echo Glen Children’s Center launched a creative writing program for the young people living there, and the work of several youth has recently been recognized and published!
Through a partnership with the Pongo Poetry Project, Echo Glen students have the opportunity to participate in four weeks of poetry writing and creative expression, earning credit in English Language Arts. South Seattle Emerald recently featured three youth-written pieces, which you can read on their website. This special monthly column will continue to feature the creative writing of Echo Glen youth. Readers are invited “to bear witness to the pain, resilience, and creative capacity of youth whose voices and perspectives are too often relegated to the periphery.”
Providing the young people in DCYF’s care with an opportunity to write about their lived experiences is therapeutic. It strengthens writing skills while helping youth claim their stories, fostering personal growth.
“Our students have tremendous gifts and stories to be told,” said Felice Upton, Assistant Secretary of Juvenile Rehabilitation. “The ability to provide opportunities to access arts education and heal and grow through the arts is essential to our work.”
Visit the South Seattle Emerald website to read the written works of these youth.