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One Letter 4 All Workshop Series
Saturday, July 20
1-3 pm ET
in-person event; open to mentees, mentors, alum & the public
Conceived and produced by Lead 360 mentee Sophia One, the One Letter 4 All initiative focuses on providing loving messages to people dealing with loneliness and isolation.
Join us for our second edition of the A Letter 4 All workshop, an inspiring afternoon of creative social activism at the home of Girls Write Now. This time, we will write compassionate letters both to refugee children around the world and to youth from a detention center in Birmingham, Alabama, connecting them all with voices of the Girls Write Now community.
In July, we will support two impactful organizations. Any Refugee distributes lovingly crafted postcards to refugees in need of hope worldwide and works in partnership with Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, whose mission is to serve and advocate for the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. Radical Reversal provides music performance and recording spaces for incarcerated individuals and fosters mentorship through music, emphasizing the liberating power of writing, reading, and music, which have a long and impactful legacy within prison systems as a means of connection to the outside world.
At this special event, we’ll blend creativity with purpose as we learn about and contribute to these vital initiatives. This workshop is perfect for writers and artists who enjoy making a positive impact through human connection. High school students will be able to receive community service credit. Enjoy snacks and giveaways! Open to the public—everyone is welcome!
This event is featured by Lead360
Meet the Teaching Artists
Sophia One
Sophia One is a NYC high school student from the Bronx High School of Science who is also a Girls Write Now mentee and a member of GWN’s Lead Incubator. She is involved in many extracurriculars related to environmentalism, such as conducting social science research on climate policies, promoting climate action in government, and leading the Green Team at her school. Her other activities include volunteering at her local Queens Public Library, running an online vintage business, and participating in the National Honor Society. Sophia also has a strong interest in media studies and journalism, of which she hopes to continue in college. Besides her academic life, Sophia enjoys traveling the world, building legos, and watching Formula One races (a huge Ferrari fan!).
Kenna McCafferty
Kenna McCafferty’s writing journey began at home. With her mom as her elementary school librarian, she was quickly introduced to the world of reading and writing. Spending her early childhood in Vienna, Austria, she learned to use writing as a powerful tool of exchange and self discovery. She has since earned a BA in Modern Political Messaging, a major of her own design, from Emerson College. During her time at Emerson she worked with youth development organizations like YouthxLead Sharon and 826 Boston to empower students to find their creative voice. In PR, she worked with mission-driven organizations to communicate around events, initiatives and institutional messaging with a concentration in non-profits, and universities. Her journalistic work has appeared in places like office magazine, PAPER magazine, Alternative Press, The Creative Independent, Dazed, LUNA Collective and more. She has interviewed everyone from Arlo Parks to Coco & Clair Clair, with a special knack for catching on to emerging artists before they make it big. A voracious listener, she continues to conduct interviews and report around music, and is in the process of developing a music blog to catalogue and share her listening journey.
Najaya Royal
At the age of 6, Najaya discovered her love for poetry, marking the beginning of her journey in writing and performing. With the support of her community, including her mother, published poet Ms. Angeli Rasburry, and organizations like Girls Write Now, the New York Writers Coalition, and Urban Word, Najaya has blossomed into a 12-time published poet. Her performances have graced numerous prestigious events and venues, including Laurie Cumbo’s 2014 Inauguration, multiple Girls Write Now chapter readings, Lincoln Center, the United Nations, and more. Najaya is a graduate of Benjamin Banneker academy & the University of New Haven. She currently serves as the Program Director for Radical Reversal, a non-profit organization founded by published poet and Professor Randall Horton. Radical Reversal focuses on constructing music studios and conducting creative workshops within juvenile detention centers, reflecting Najaya’s dedication to nurturing creativity and making a positive impact. Originally from Brooklyn, Najaya is also an accomplished actress, musician manager, and DJ, showcasing her diverse talents and dynamic personality.
This event is open to:
all mentees, all mentors, program alum and the public