YourWords STL began when two people had the same inspiration around the same time, with just enough serendipity to bring that thought into action. Two high school friends, Dr. Anna Ojascastro Guzon and Dr. Steve Handoyo, like much of St. Louis, were disheartened by the events that surrounding and
Crossing Delmar Collaborative Projects
YWSTL’s Crossing Delmar Collaborative Projects develop racial literacy and empathy among elementary and middle school students located on opposite sides of the Delmar Divide. The program addresses strategic, sustainable action for healing racial inequities in St. Louis. Through fun and engaging team-building activities, honest reflection of one’s identity through writing
Creative Writing Projects
The goals of this program are to utilize art and evidence-based programming to improve writing skills, nurture a love of reading and writing, and encourage the development of identity, empathy, and engagement in the community, for marginalized youth. Creative writing workshops were led each semester starting in 2015 at Marygrove,
Tutoring
From June 2015 to 2022, YWSTL has provided tutoring and workshops for the 16-to-20-year-old residents in transitional housing at Marygrove Children’s Home, a therapeutic residence in Florissant, MO for young people who have experienced abuse or have nowhere else to turn. In 2020, with residents quarantined in their Houses, disproportionately