WASHINGTON — Some teenagers in D.C. are getting paid to become published authors. New to the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program is a six-week literacy workshop that uses music and TikTok dances to encourage young people to write poetry and short stories.
According to a 2020 report by the Washington Literacy Center, nearly 50% of our neighbors in Wards 7 and 8 are functionally illiterate. That’s why when the city reached out to the Beyond Literacy Program for the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program, District leaders intentionally chose to set up to East of the River.
But the scholars involved are bucking the trend and proving there is power in telling your own story.
The basement of East Washington Heights Baptist Church in Southeast D.C. sets the stage for these storytellers. From a mock newscast to a writers’ workshop, the Beyond Literacy Program using music as a means to literacy.
“Writing is fun when you’re writing a song now, it’s essays, short stories, poetry haiku’s – so we made writing fun again and at end of program we publish a book.
Anthony AJ Joiner’s software program Blooksy brings the stories to life and to the world. The title of their first published book is Chapters of Life: Stories of DC’s Next Generation.
“My mother inspires me she has written a book and I always wanted to write a little myself," said Xavier Lyles, a rising 11th grader at Basis Public Charter School.
“I’ve learned it can help you portray many different things what I have experienced or many others around me have experienced,” added Shaunah Boone, a rising sophomore at Dunbar High School.
The program started just one year ago and has impacted 500 teenagers in five states. Joiner hopes to expand to schools in the DMV to help reverse trends from the pandemic and teach children the power of telling their own stories.
"During the pandemic, there was a huge slide in literacy and as a country, we’ve been focused on STEM for the past 20 years, children are graduating and they can’t read or write,” explained Joiner. “Beyond Literacy is about understanding the importance and value in sharing your voice with the world.”
If you'd like more information on how you can bring the program to your school, click here.