Organization: Deep Center Incorporated
Mission: See Schedule O
Activities: DEEP CENTER'S INTERMEDIATE PROGRAM, BLOCK BY BLOCK, SERVED 76 PUBLIC SCHOOL YOUTH FROM 17 HIGH SCHOOLS WITH YEAR-LONG CREATIVE WRITING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOPS. YOUTH RESEARCHED AND INTERVIEWED MEMBERS OF THE SAVANNAH COMMUNITY WITH A FOCUS ON MIGRATION STORIES, AND CREATED ART INFLUENCED BY THEIR EXPLORATION OF THESE STORIES. THE PROGRAM YEAR CULMINATED WITH THE PUBLICATION OF AN ANTHOLOGY OF YOUTH WRITING AND A PUBLIC PERFORMANCE AND BOOK LAUNCH. THE FINAL PERFORMANCE FEATURED SPOKEN WORD, DANCE, AND VISUAL ART CREATED BY YOUTH PARTICIPANTS.
DEEP CENTER'S INTRODUCTORY CREATIVE WRITING LITERACY PROGRAM SERVED 343 YOUTH WITH WORKSHOPS HELD AT 15 PUBLIC MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND 2 PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS. IN 2019, 50 SKILLED ADULT VOLUNTEER WRITERS MENTORED YOUTH AND ALLOWED THEM THE CHANCE TO WRITE, REVISE, ILLUSTRATE AND PUBLISH THEIR WRITING IN 10 ANTHOLOGIES. THE BOOKS WERE LAUNCHED AT TWO COMMUNITY EVENTS WHERE YOUTH READ BEFORE AUDIENCES OF MORE THAN 400.
A GROUP OF ADVANCED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED FROM THE BEGINNER AND INTERMEDIATE PROGRAMS MAKE UP THE YOUTH LEADERSHIP TEAM. MEMBERS WERE RECRUITED TO 1) PROVIDE ONGOING FEEDBACK TO STAFF ON PROGRAMMING, 2) TO WRITE ON CRITICAL COMMUNITY ISSUES, 3) TO CO-FACILITATE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, AND 4) TO PARTICIPATE IN LEADERSHIP TEAMS INVOLVED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH NATIONAL PEERS AND ADULT LEADERS.
NTEE category: Arts, Culture & Humanities
Secondary category: Youth Development