In 1998, Girls Write Now was being conceptualized at a Brooklyn kitchen table. Twenty years later, the organization has grown into an award-winning success story where thousands of young women have found a better future through mentoring and writing. “If I had to sum up what Girls Write Now did for me in one word it would be: Elevate!” says Mentee Alum Iemi Hernandez-Kim. Recently, Girlboss.com highlighted the work of Girls Write Now and showcased our mentees’ hopeful stories for the future, here.
What’s next for Girls Write Now is crucial to the organization and our young women. We are setting out to serve more young women than ever before. Our mission has never been more clear or more in demand. We are committed to mentoring the next generation of young women writers and creative media makers.
Guided by our strategic plan that involved our community, we are strengthening our commitment to the next generation of women writers and we want you to join us in our mission. We can’t do this without you. In 1998, Girls Write Now set out to create a space for young women to find their voices and share their stories. Fast-forward 20 years — with thousands of pencils, sheets of paper and rewrites later — the award-winning Girls Write Now is a leading arts education organization dedicated to mentoring underserved young women to find their voices through the power of writing and community.
We continue to self-reflect and work hard to create a successful one-to-one mentoring program. The results? With confidence and a robust portfolio in hand, 100% of our graduating seniors go on to college.
As Girls Write Now gets ready to celebrate its past, present and future, we are directing our efforts to championing you, the individual who is a part of a dynamic community who lets us do more. Where do we start? We thank you for your dedication to girls and craft, your hard work and care. And for your ideas, networks, and resources—overall, your steadfast advocacy. Thank you for helping us reach this anniversary milestone.
In that spirit, we begin the new 2017-2018 program year by asking you: What do you wish for young women as we prepare for 20 more years? Please email us your wishes for the next generation of women at info@girlswritenow.org.
We are in close touch with our mentors and mentees from the last two decades, and we will be sharing their stories as the year unfolds. This week we had a call from Mentee Alum Iemi Hernandez-Kim, who was a mentee from 2004 to 2006 and now works at the Children’s Media Association. She had this to say about her experience at Girls Write Now:
If I had to sum up what Girls Write Now did for me in one word it would be: “Elevate!” It was my introduction, my gateway — Girls Write Now put me on a higher level, gave me exposure, and I left with a portfolio. Girls Write Now helped me get into New York University. Here’s how it happened: I was awarded a scholarship to attend the Columbia University Summer Writing Course. I was a sophomore in high school at the time and still remember a moment while attending one of their events. My mentor was with me and she turned to me and said, “Ya know, this could be you.” Girls Write Now gave me the inspiration to see what I could do. I remembered what my mentor said and applied. I got in and ended up graduating from NYU! Writing still helps me today. I work at the Children’s Media Association and my dream is to write for children’s entertainment. I would love to have my own show on Nickelodeon.
What’s next? Our girls are writing our future with their mentors, their community and you by their side.
Support us during this crucial year and be a part of our future.
Plus, we’ve partnered with ThoughtMatter to create a campaign that fully represents our 20th anniversary. More on this exciting partnership here.
Thank you.
