Robert Vogel, Professor of Education and Co-Director of the Leadership and Global Understanding program at La Salle has teamed up with an 8th grade teacher and his students at Grover Washington Jr Middle School to design a writing initiative that explores the violence and pain that exists in the lives of these young people.
Through a diary and journaling format the students are provided opportunities to reveal their feelings and express themselves in remarkable ways. This program is based on the work pioneered by Erin Gruwell, who has begun an organization to help other schools start programs similar to her "Freedom Writers Diary Project" that was initiated in the 1990's.
In addition, La Salle students worked as writing tutors through the year as well as the senior capstone course in the LGU minor designing an interactive program on Genocide. This writing initiative began two years ago and will continue next year.
The program is currently being documented by the Philadelphia Inquirer in special five-part series that began Sunday, June 25. Be sure to go to go.philly.com/writing for a great multimedia show of the program
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