The WORD Project: Building Their Voices

The invitation came from students at the University of Southern California to Gertz-Ressler High School students. “We want to help your kids find value in their thoughts and dreams,” was the request from USC senior Stephanie Aliase to GRHS teacher Jennifer Camus. It began a creative writing workshop called The WORD Project. It proved to be an inspiration for 40 ninth graders and the college students.

“It was life-changing for all of us,” says Ms. Aliase. The WORD Project, which stands for Writing Our Dreams, was created from an assignment to the USC students in a Leadership Class taught by University President Steven Sample. “He simply told us to go out and be leaders,” she explains. “The idea of helping kids give voice to their dreams and hopes came from our brainstorming, and someone asked how we could get it into a classroom. That’s when I called my friend Jennifer who was a teacher at Gertz-Ressler.” 

The WORD Project met twice a week in the school library. The college students guided the teens’ writing exercises and became unofficial mentors. “Kids aren’t taught how to express dreams. They don’t know that it can be the first step toward solving problems and finding their own voices,” explains Ms. Camus. The creative writing was so strong that the decision was made to use it to create a theatrical performance based on the student work and presented by USC drama majors.

More than 400 people from the Alliance and USC communities filled Bovard Auditorium on the USC campus for the production. “When the kids saw their work and words on stage, it transformed them,” Ms. Aliase says. The WORD Project will resume for next year’s GRHS ninth graders.  In fact, it was so successful that the USC creators are forming a non-profit organization that could spread the curriculum to more schools.