PlayWrite Newsletter November 2024
Only connect.—E.M. Forster
How PlayWrite Connects with Our Young Writers
Talking to PlayWrite, Inc. Executive Director Aimee Farr for our last Newsletter, we were struck by her experience connecting with students as a workshop coach for the first time:
“That's when I really and truly understood the magic of PlayWrite and its transformative property, how it can transform somebody.”
The young people we work with come from historically underserved populations. Many live in poverty or high-risk situations. Some have been in foster care or the juvenile justice system. Nearly 80% of PlayWrite workshop participants have experienced childhood trauma or abuse. And as Aimee thoughtfully expressed when we spoke, “After the pandemic, I think all kids have been through some trauma.”
Students often come into our workshops reluctant and resistant. Our first job is to connect and build trust. Here’s one exercise we use:
Car and Driver: Writers and coaches pair up in a circle. For the first round, coaches are “cars” controlled by the writers/drivers. Each writer stands behind their coach whose eyes are closed. Placing their hands lightly on the coach’s shoulders, the writer drives their coach/car around the space using a slight pressure to move forward, left, or right, and a gentle pull back to put on the brakes. The challenge is for partners to work together and safely drive around without hitting obstacles. After a couple of minutes, writers “park their cars” back in the circle. It’s then the coach’s turn to drive their writer safely around the space.
This workshop exercise is a physical/mental/emotional step in establishing trust. Both writers and coaches must feel safe to fully express themselves, knowing that their partner won’t “crash” them.
In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it.—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Our PlayWrite workshops give young people the opportunity to connect with themselves, their peers, and their community in a safe, inclusive, supportive space, empowering them to explore and share their stories.
None of this important work is possible without our PlayWrite friends and donors.
Come to our next workshop performance and experience, first-hand, the transformative power of healthy human connection. And, if you are in a position to do so, consider making a gift to support our work.
Upcoming Workshop
Our next two-week workshop with Mt. Scott Learning Center begins December 2. The final performance will be Monday, December 16.
Contact us if you’d like to attend. It’s enlightening and inspiring to see what our young writers create.
Can’t make it to Mt Scott?
Check out the video recording of Midsummer Carnival by Joshana (May 2024, at Donald E. Long). The characters are Cora, an outgoing coral (played by Mindy Mawhirter) and Pilla, a hesitant pillow (played by Mele Satsuma). Note: The first 30 seconds are blurred to protect the identity of the writer.
Making Connections Possible
We’re excited to share that PlayWrite is a recipient of grant support from the City of Portland’s Office of Arts & Culture for 2025.
Our thanks to the Office of Arts & Culture! Their generous funding will help us continue to connect with “youth at the edge” throughout Portland.
creating CONNECTIONS
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