Girls Write Now
Community Conversations
Community Conversations are spaces in which the Girls Write Now community comes together to discuss necessary topics and work toward a stronger culture of compassion, inclusion, and understanding.
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Code Switching
This Community Conversation doubled as an IV DEIB (Intersectional Voices in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging) Committee Studio. In it, all Girls Write Now community members were invited to a conversation about code switching. What is code switching? Do you do it? If so, how often?
We discussed demystifying code switching, and examined how it impacts all of us personally and professionally.
Coping Through Comedy
The first half of this session included an open space for anyone to share or shed any heavy loads they may have been carrying from the world and wanted to get off their chests. Science suggests that the notion of “Holding Space” through mindfulness may be associated with benefits such as reduced anxiety, stress, and lowered blood pressure.
The second section transitioned into a more lighthearted conversation/open space to share the things we have been using to get through these hard moments. According to research, using humor as a coping mechanism has been tied to greater emotional well-being.
Managing Through Crises (or Hard Times Require Furious Dancing)
Hard Times Require Furious Dancing…
Inspired by the words of Alice Walker, our community was invited to join us for a conversation where we shared wellness recommendations, like what we do to find and maintain balance, where we find credible news, and what we’re doing, or desire to do: volunteer, raise money, canvas, make phone calls.
Post-Election Art, Activism, and Healing
We held an open and compassionate Community Conversation to process the election. Across beliefs or politics, we have all felt the impact of polarization and violence. Writing is one form of resistance, and a way we can uplift one another. Despite the outcome of elections, we must continue to work together and to heal ourselves.
Storytelling for Change: A National Voter Registration Day Event
Girls Write Now, and our co-sponsor, STARS Citywide Girls Initiative, celebrated National Voter Registration Day with a coordinated democracy blitz aimed at getting every eligible person registered to vote in advance of election 2024 and beyond!
At this hybrid event, we heard from inspiring speakers across fields, industries, and experiences about what each of us can do to uplift the voices of our communities. And we all got connected with resources to make sure we were #VoteReady.
On Girls Write Now Values
Members of the Girls Write Now community were warmly invited to participate in a generative conversation on the past, present, and future of our organization. While our mission of writing, mentoring, and community grows in scale, we want to ensure we stay true to our core values—and learn what those values are from different perspectives. Attendees joined to engage with the community united by our values as a collective of creative individuals.
Beyond the Gender Binary
This was an open conversation discussing the challenges and joys of creating and sustaining a community of gender diverse writers. Attendees brought questions, ideas, and perspectives as we explored the power that comes from expanding our minds to ensure a safe and welcoming space for cis and trans women, trans men, non-binary, 2Spirit, genderqueer, and other gender expansive identities. What we learned in this session will further inform Girls Write Now’s actions, policies, and language.
Palestine, Israel & Student Activism
This community conversation was led in partnership with the New York Peace Institute, about the crisis in Israel and Palestine, and ongoing student activism in the United States. This was a session grounded in each of our stories, how we came to feel the way we do about the crises, how we learned what we know, and why we feel the way we feel.
The New York Peace Institute believes that active peacemaking requires direct, respectful, and creative communication, and their work is driven by six values: commitment, empathy, transparency, flexibility, community, and quality.