Summer 2025
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion
Our words can change minds and the world. Discover what you can do with yours… Mentees will learn how to persuade audiences on issues that matter to them. By the end of the journey, they will not only gain confidence in self-expression and analytical thinking but also develop and deliver a final speech that showcases their growth in civil discourse and persuasive communication.
Girls Write Now Collaboratory
This Journey Is Closed, but You Can Pre-Enroll in a Summer 2026 Journey Now!
Journey Led By:
Requirements
- Attend Journey live sessions and one community studio per month
- Have at least 2 pair sessions per month
- Complete Journey’s asynchronous course work
- Develop and present a polished speech that demonstrates growth in persuasion, argumentation, and public speaking.
- Record a 2 minute speech at the beginning and at the end of the cycle.
- Participate in a final presentation celebration.
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion Course
Public Speaking & Authentic Expression
This course explores how to engage in respectful, thoughtful, and productive conversations, even on difficult or controversial topics. It complements our interactive workshops by providing additional exercises, resources, and feedback opportunities to refine your public speaking skills. Through guided vocal delivery exercises, structured speech-writing templates, and recorded performance submissions, you’ll gain confidence in crafting and delivering compelling speeches. Whether you’re preparing a persuasive argument, a spoken-word piece, or a presentation, participants will develop active listening skills, learn to express their perspectives with clarity and empathy, and practice techniques for fostering meaningful dialogue in diverse settings.
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion Mentoring
Mentees and mentors in this Journey will be matched for one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least two sessions each month. Each session should be at least one hour. This journey is open to both mentor/mentee pairs and peer-to-peer pairs.
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion Experiences
Mentors and mentees in the Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion Journey are required to attend monthly meetings, held on Saturdays from 1-3 pm ET. Additionally, they may attend one community studio per month, preferably a leadership-focused community studio.
Live virtual meeting dates:
- July 12, 1 pm ET
- August 9, 1 pm ET
- September 13, 1 pm ET
Final presentations:
- September 27, 1 pm ET
Lead 360 Adventure
The Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion Journey is a part of the Lead 360 Adventure.
Journeys in the Lead 360 Adventure emphasize leadership, aiming to help mentees and mentors develop their leadership skills and work together to create a better future.
Learn more about the other Adventures offered at Girls Write Now below.
Find Your Journey
Find Your Journey
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion (Spring 2026)
In this Journey, mentors and mentees will develop essential skills in public speaking, argumentation, and critical thinking. Through engaging activities and interactive discussions, participants will learn to craft persuasive speeches, construct well-reasoned arguments, and present their ideas with confidence. They will explore techniques for effective communication, refine their ability to think critically under pressure, and practice responding to diverse perspectives in a structured setting.
STARS: Crafting White Papers for Change (Spring 2026)
In this Journey, Fellows from STARS CGI partner organizations engage in a youth-led writing and advocacy experience that empowers them to turn their experiences into policy-focused narratives. Through in-person and virtual sessions, participants learn to research, write, and collaborate on a White Paper that amplifies youth voices across New York City and advocates for increased support, funding, and policy improvements for youth programs. The Journey builds communication, leadership, and advocacy skills, culminating in a youth-authored White Paper presented to a City Council Member as a public call to action.
Inimitable Voices in the Age of AI (Spring 2026)
AI can replicate form, but not the glorious quirks of you. Together, we’ll explore the tenets of human inimitability—Play, Empathy, Friction, Serendipity, Physicality—and explore AI tools that amplify (not blur) your unique voice. That wonderful, specific, spiky point of view that each of us has—and that the world needs now more than ever.
Thousand Voices Book Club (Spring 2026)
In partnership with the Thousand Voices imprint, this Journey invites mentors and mentees to explore contemporary literature. Participants will close-read three books and discuss them at monthly Journey Meetings. We’ll focus, in particular, on reading as writers and taking note of the ways each author crafts their story.
Sharpening Your Inimitable Voice in the Age of AI (Fall 2025)
AI can replicate form, but not the glorious quirks of you. Together, we’ll explore the tenets of human inimitability—Play, Empathy, Friction, Serendipity, Physicality—and explore AI tools that amplify (not blur) your unique voice. That wonderful, specific, spiky point of view that each of us has—and that the world needs now more than ever.
Storytelling Across Languages and Cultures (Fall 2025)
This Journey invites multilingual storytellers—and those curious about language, identity, and culture—to explore how the languages we speak and the communities we come from shape our stories. Through writing, discussion, and creative expression, participants will examine the connections between language, culture, and self. The Journey celebrates multilingual voices and empowers participants to honor their perspectives and grow as confident storytellers across cultures.
Perspectives on Media (Fall 2025)
The Perspectives on Media Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work in today’s media ecosystem. It provides insight from media professionals in a variety of fields such as sports journalism, broadcast journalism, true crime podcasting, and more! Participants will also learn how to develop a pitch for a media project of their choice.
Hooked on Fiction: Crafting Your First Chapter (Fall 2025)
In this fiction Journey, our curriculum will focus on opening chapters. The first pages of a novel are some of the most daunting for many writers. There's so much to establish in very few pages—the ones your future readers will flip through to decide if they should keep reading. In this journey, we'll deep dive into the varied ingredients that make a compelling first chapter. We'll examine how to use your limited space to build motivated well-rounded characters, craft palpable stakes, establish a fully-realized setting, create a killer hook, and so much more. We'll tackle big questions, like how to know if you are starting in the right place and how to get all this information onto the page without overwhelming your readers. Whether you're starting a story from scratch or already editing a draft of your novel, join us to develop some impactful opening pages.
Wicked Stagewriting: From Plays to Musicals (Fall 2025)
The Writing for the Stage: From Plays to Musicals Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work as a writer in today’s theatre industry. This Journey provides insight into the work of a playwright – a deep understanding of live storytelling and professional scripts, plays vs musicals, professional working practices, and employment strategies. We will look to popular musicals such as Wicked for inspiration in creating original pieces. Specific topics range from story structure and formatting scripts to actually seeing a script to fruition.
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion (Fall 2025)
In this one-Cycle Journey, Mentees will develop essential skills in public speaking, argumentation, and critical thinking. Through engaging activities and interactive discussions, participants will learn to craft persuasive speeches, construct well-reasoned arguments, and present their ideas with confidence. They will explore techniques for effective communication, refine their ability to think critically under pressure, and practice responding to diverse perspectives in a structured setting.