YourWords STL has a lot to be proud of!
In 2019, YourWords STL experienced the following accomplishments:
Co-founder and Program Director Anna Ojascastro Guzon, was selected as an EdHub STL Fellow. The EdHub STL fellowship empowers those who are employing entrepreneurial approaches within an education organization to develop and/or expand
In 2019, YourWords STL provided:
Weekly tutoring at The Drury House for 16-20 year old young men and at The Sequoia House for 16-20 year old young women at Marygrove Children’s Home, a therapeutic residence in Florissant, MO for children who have experienced abuse or have nowhere to turn.
Year-round creative writing workshops at
Join YourWords STL for an interactive art exhibit in the Cortex, on Sunday, Dec. 16th from 3 PM to 5 PM. With guidance from teaching artist Aysia BerLynn, the young women of Marygrove Children’s Home have created paintings in response to mindfulness exercises, then used their artwork as prompts for creative writing. Participants will have
Guest blog from Executive Director, Steve Handoyo There is hope But only if you have faith Accompanied by courage to take what you already have and become something great Adversity is our biggest asset And once you understand that You have taken back your power. – Noah Schultz, Reach Farther “Adversity is our biggest […]
With school back in session YourWords STL is rolling with momentum into the Fall. By now, there is a culture of writing that exists at Marygrove and as per usual, the work didn’t stop over the summer months. Coming off a Spring workshop where students saw their work performed by
A local Emmy-award winning filmmaker, Daniel Blake Smith, has theatrically staged the real-life stories of the young men who reside at Marygrove Children’s Home, in Florissant, Missouri. By way of a collaboration with YourWords STL, PRIME Theater, and Marygrove Children’s Home, two performances of Unheard Voices: You Don’t Know My […]
Guest blog from Workshop Leader, Donna PattonReggie escorted five girls into the back office at Lift for Life gym. The office was small and crowded, full of files and donated items like gloves and mouthwash. Boys loudly chattered and played basketball on the other side of the thin office wall. […]
In 2017, YourWords STL provided:- A full year of weekly one-on-one tutoring at Drury House for 16-20-year-old young men at Marygrove Children’s Home- A full year of creative writing workshops at Drury House with two chapbooks currently in production led by Dr. Anna Ojascastro Guzon and Joey Ferber- Our inaugural […]
Guest blog from Workshop Leader, Joey FerberSemester by semester, YourWords STL contributes to the ongoing St. Louis movement fighting for youth literacy and creativity. The energy and spirit of the organization in tandem with its students’ skill and passion create a feedback loop of inspiration. As options open and ideas […]
Guest blog post from Executive Director, Steve HandoyoI’m writing today on a personal note. YourWords STL, and my family, lost one of our most ardent supporters recently in a sudden and tragic accident. My brother-in-law, Joe Giljum, should have turned 37 today. He would have hated the Cubs clinching on […]