NCJ Number
160768
Date Published
1995
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This packet contains materials and a 6-minute video that describe the Do the Write Thing Project, an essay contest and community-involvement program for 7th and 8th graders in Washington, D.C., that focuses on ways to prevent and reduce violence in neighborhoods.
Abstract
In 1994 approximately 850 seventh and eighth grade students from District of Columbia public schools wrote essays that responded to three questions: (1) How has violence affected my life? (2) What are the causes of youth violence? and (3) What can I do about the violence I see or experience? There were 1,500 essays from 23 junior high schools. In addition to providing excerpts from some of the essays, a copy of the "Do the Write Thing Journal" is also included in the packet. Articles discuss various activities associated with the program. A 6-minute video consists of students presenting portions of their essays, along with comments on the program by educators and journalist Jack Anderson. In addition to the essay contest, the Do the Write Thing Program also had a 1995 summer program sponsored by the Community Peace Corps. The program introduced students to the business community and to the advantages of living in the Nation's capital. Through the program, the students were provided with communication skills development (oral and written), leadership development, general work experience, workshop presentations from local government officials, and field trips to local historical sites. Details of this program are presented in the packet.