Girls Write Now’s 25th Anniversary is the Year of Radical Gratitude

January is National Mentoring Month, and we begin our 25th anniversary by expressing radical gratitude to the talented and dedicated mentors of Girls Write Now whose contributions make possible two and a half decades of transformative stories.

New York, NY – January 1, 2024

In 2024, we celebrate 25 years of transformative stories, as we write our way to wellness and expand our reach nationwide. In all that we do, radical gratitude is a lens through which we can choose to see the world, amplifying sparks of joy and beauty in everyday life, even moments of great pain and loss. It is a radical act to use stories to combat hopelessness, cynicism, and despair. At Girls Write Now, this is how we make sense of the world around us.

We write bolstered by a support system designed for mentors to help navigate the twists and turns of coming of age in a world full of disease, war, stunning supreme court rulings, and all that gets hurled at us every day. National Mentoring Month recognizes the life-changing impact of mentoring that Girls Write Now has proudly catalyzed for 25 years.

Mentee Karina Itzel says of her time at Girls Write Now, “My most rewarding experience was meeting my mentor Ellen. She’s been super encouraging and helpful during a year that’s been filled with a lot of change and uncertainty.”

Mentor and mentee alum Antonia Bruno, who now works as an Assistant Deputy Public Defender, says “I did Girls Write Now throughout high school. I was very excited to be a mentor and be able to give that experience to someone else.” Her mentee since 2021, Nishat Raihana, says, “I genuinely see Antonia as more than a mentor. I see her as a friend.”

These are representative of Girls Write Now’s countless testimonials on the power of mentoring to shape a young person’s trajectory—our mentees have gone on to publish books, win prestigious awards, and interview inspiring celebrities.

Girls Write Now is indebted to our mentors—the lifeblood of our community—and we remain committed to supporting them for the next 25 years to come.