Mighy Writers is amazing! I have been to their office locations, special events, fundraisers ... this is a first-class organization with committed leaders, passionate volunteers and highly engaged kids who are learning, sharing, growing, honing their writing skills and advancing their abilities, plus having a lot of fun and support while doing it. The response from the community, donors/supporters, the kids and their families has been overwhelmingly positive and is fully justified. Mighy Writers is changing kids' lives for the better, in so many ways.
Mighty Writers works with children to develop their inner beauty, creativity, and self-confidence. I have spent time at their site, and worked with some of their students. The outcomes that the children who attend their workshops create are truly astounding and awe inspiring.
Mighty Writers works with students from all over the city after school and on weekends to help them express themselves through the written word. There are volunteers of all ages. Everyone is enthusiastic and friendly- staff, parents, students and volunteers. It's a wonderful place with great energy and it is expanding!
Everyone hears tales of Philadelphia kids running around in mobs, beating people up and being generally disruptive, but hardly anyone hears about the vast population of kids who divert that energy to positive outlets, like writing. Maybe this is because programs like Mighty Writers need to be held in far, far higher esteem. This place provides kids from ages 7-17 with a creative and useful way to deal with their surroundings, appreciate their lives, and get through school. With dedicated tutors and workshop leaders, it has the resources for kids to sit and read, write papers, and learn more about the written word in all its forms. Poetry, blogging, creative writing, SAT prep-- Mighty Writers strives to cover all types, so that everyone who visits the center finds something that suits them. People are so quick to judge youth and dismiss them, but at MW, they have individual voices and are not shy of (nor shunned from) using them. MW is one of the absolute best places in Philadelphia for young people to not only help others experience their world, but to create a better one. Philly youth are both intelligent and imaginative; MW gives them a way to exhibit that.
Mighty Writers is a great nonprofit in South Philly. I learned about them back when they first opened in 2008 through Idealist.org. I have volunteered and interned for them from 2008 to early 2012. The only reason I stopped volunteering was because my current job and school hours interfere with their programs. (I'll go back to volunteering as soon as my schedule permits.) I mainly volunteered in the after school program, which has transformed over the years into an extremely well planned and executed program. It has evolved and grown each year, always for the better. The staff there is absolutely wonderful and so are the students who attend. I learned a lot from the children and was fortunate enough to have the chance to see them grow as readers, writers, and people. I don't think there is anything better than being able to see the children who attend Mighty Writers grow and improve. The best moment I have ever experienced was at Mighty Writers. During their first year of the after school program, I worked with a seven year old ESL student who was struggling to learn to read. It was a very long and hard process for both of us. One day during the after school program in May, we were taking turns reading "The Night Before Christmas" and on the student's turn, he read an incredibly hard sentence completely on his own. He had some trouble and had to sound some words out, but it was entirely on his own. Without Mighty Writers pushing him to learn to read, and helping him out day in and day out during the school year, I think that day wouldn't have come as soon as it had.
I am a teacher at a Philadelphia public high school. I first learned about Mighty Writers when my nephew (a student at a Philly public elementary school) started attending the free after-school workshops. For my family, this was a godsend. We are always looking for low-cost, enriching after-school activities for Sam, and this fit the bill. He enjoyed the workshops, so I was pleased to learn that they also offer programming for high school students. This year, two students at my school have joined the staff of Mighty Post, Mighty Writers' on line student newspaper. Mighty Writers has offered them the additional academic challenge that they have been craving, and it has also helped them to build confidence in their writing skills. Another student, an English Language Learner whose native language is Chinese, has also been involved with Mighty Writers. She shared with me that attending some of the Mighty Writers workshops helped her to improve her English, fall in love with writing, and get ready for college. At Mighty Writers, she said, volunteers were able to work with her one-on-one, a woefully rare situation in traditional high schools. Based on the great experiences my students have had, I am encouraging more of my students to get involved. In Journalism class, students posted comments to a classmate's Mighty Post article, and currently, one student is developing a story that she hopes to submit. I follow Mighty Writers on Twitter and Facebook, knowing that I might turn up valuable opportunities for my students. I have yet to visit their office spaces in the city, but already I think of Mighty Writers as one of the best educational non-profits in the city. They have established direct connections with both teachers and students, and they sustain those connections through a balance of social media, online publication, and face-to-face interactions.
I was a weekly volunteer for the 2011-2012 academic year, and I was so impressed with the dedication of the staff, volunteers, parents and especially the students who make Mighty Writers such a positive educational community. Writing is a daily responsibility there, and the results are truly gratifying. Day by day, year by year, MW kids are improving their communication skills, expanding their knowledge, deepening their empathy, and finding their own powerful voices.
I volunteered at Mighty Writers in their after school program for one school year while I was in graduate school and shortly after. I had a wonderful experience there. The students are great and the programming is spot on. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an opportunity to volunteer with kids.
Mighty Writers is an incredible non-profit that truly helps inspire both it's children and it's volunteers through meaningful and lasting relationships. I run a Spoken Word Poetry workshop there on Sundays and it really seems to add a lot of value, education and fun to all of the kids, as well as adding a lot of meaning and value to my time and weekends. Seeing the kids really respond to the workshops, learn, grow and enjoy themselves is a great feeling. The parents also love the value it adds to the kids weekends and their education and creativity as a whole. All-in-all, a truly impactful, great non-profit that exists to really help families here in Philadelphia.
I happened upon Mighty Writers by accident, at it's inception. My daughter has been a part of many programs: classes, after school, and writing for the Mighty Times. The program is overwhelmingly positive; I have never seen anything negative. She continues to work with a writing mentor. The mentor, along with the other programs she has been involved with have not only improved her writing skills, which is critical to her schooling, but it has also increased her confidence and self esteem, which are critical to her entire life.
I came across Mighty Writers a little over a year ago. What I expected to be a short internship turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I would ever be apart of. Mighty Writers is an extraordinary program that has helped shape and mold students into great thinkers and exemplary leaders. I am so proud to be able to volunteer with this non-profit. I thought I would be helping & teaching the students, and they ended up helping me far more than I had them. It's such a beautiful thing to witness a student accomplish something they once doubted, or excel to an even higher degree than imagined. I am very proud of the students that attend Mighty Writers. It has been a very rewarding experience. One that I have and will always cherish.