LEARNING BY DOING

Engaging Youth in Writing

In their own words

Reading, writing, and arithmetic. We consider these the basic building blocks of our education. Of the three “Rs,” however, many believe that writing is clearly the most neglected, while developing strong writing and communication skills bodes well for future success.

And for adolescents, who are often trying to understand their place in the world, writing also can be a powerful tool for self expression. Many young people work out their feelings by writing about them, using journaling or creative writing as a means for exploring inner thoughts and feelings and an outlet for difficult emotions.

Reading and writing also stimulate the imagination, improve critical thinking, and allow young people to expand their possibilities.

Youth who become fully engaged in reading and writing learn to reflect on their lives, share their experiences, and identify and discuss issues of concern to them and the people around them, which helps connect them to the larger community.

Writing can also provide youth with a stage or a soapbox they might not otherwise have available. When young writers present their work to an audience, at a poetry slam, for example, they have the opportunity to practice public speaking. When their work is published, perhaps in a local or school newspaper, or posted on a blog, young people get to share their thoughts and experiences with an extended audience of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds. So, how do you encourage youth to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, and start writing?

Tips for engaging youth in writing

• Create a supportive environment for young people to write, share their work, and talk about ideas for new writing projects. Teach young people how to respond to each others’ work in an honest, respectful, and practical way. Divide young people into smaller groups of 3 or 4 to facilitate sharing and constructive feedback.
  
  
• Encourage youth to write about what they know and to share their personal stories.
  
  
• Encourage youth to gather inspiration from many sources. Magazines, poetry, rap or pop songs, even comic books, can stimulate reading, writing, discussion, and reflection.
  
  
• Offer young people an array of writing opportunities. In addition to writing poetry or fiction, for example, young people can write for their local newspaper, perhaps an article or an editorial about an issue that’s important to them. Young people can also write plays or create family history projects by writing down stories told to them by relatives.
  
  
• Persuade youth to keep a journal and jot something in it every day, whether it’s poetry or stream of consciousness. In a private journal, young people can experiment with their writing without worrying about being judged.
  
  
• Many youth like to keep an online journal or blog, where they can discuss a particular subject, express their views, or simply write about what’s happening in their lives. Most blogging Web sites offer free software you can download to get started. When helping young people set up a blog, be sure to discuss safety precautions, such as protecting their personal information and never getting together with someone they “meet” online.
  
  
• Nurture young people’s ability to write in the language with which they feel most comfortable, if they are not native English speakers.
  
  
• Show young people how they can share their written work. Attend or stage public readings, teach young people how to submit their work for publication, and offer instruction in bookmaking and magazine production.

Resources

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
www.free.ed.gov

America Scores
www.americascores.org

826 National
www.826national.org

National Writing Project
www.nwp.org

Urban Word NYC
www.urbanwordnyc.org

WritersCorps
www.dcwriterscorps.org

Youth Communications
www.youthcomm.org

YO! Youth Outlook
www.youthoutlook.org

Youth Speaks
www.youthspeaks.org

Learning by Doing was developed for the Family and Youth Services Bureau; Administration on Children, Youth and Families; Administration for Children and Families; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, by the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY). For more information on ways to engage young people, please go to ncfy.acf.hhs.gov, or contact NCFY at (301) 608-8098.