Red Bank — When it comes to inspiring the next generation of Red Bank writers, Project Write Now is working on it — right now.
The nonprofit is launching a “Back to School” fundraiser to support its literacy programs as well as to help fund a new after-school location for students at The Galleria on Bridge Avenue in Red Bank.
“Imagine the energy of a newsroom with the passion of a creative space,” said Executive Director Jennifer Chauhan about plans for the new space, which will have separate classrooms and desks with computers, as well as a reading nook.
“They will be writing under the guidance of professional editors with the goal of publishing the work,” she said.
Chauhan hopes that creating the space will provide a place for students in Red Bank to go after school to hone their writing skills. There will be an application process for the program.
Plans are for the space to open in late October, Tuesdays to Thursdays, from 3-6 p.m.
“Our whole goal is to build a vibrant writing community here in Red Bank,” said Chauhan.
The project is not only for students, as memoir, fiction and non-fiction writing are also offered. Classes are offered free as well as on a fee basis.
Project Write Now offers fee-based 10- week workshops in topics such as fan fiction writing, for teens and adults
The fee-based writing programs and summer writing camps for children are taught by professional educators.
Free workshops include college essay writing, professional development, creative writing and narrative therapy.
Samantha Strauss, a first-grade teacher at Point Road Elementary School in Little Silver, teaches children’s writing classes for Project Write Now.
“The heart of our work is our literacy outreach program,” said Chauhan.
During the previous school year, Project Write Now partnered with Red Bank Middle School. Once a week the group worked with students in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program.
“We give everyone a notebook and allow them to write freely and encourage them to explore their ideas. It’s really about building a writing community within the classroom as well,” she said.
According to Chauhan, students who were once timid about sharing their writing soon broke out of their shells and were excited to share what they had written with others.
“What we see is that there is a confidence that is building within them that they could apply to the writing that they do in school,” she said.
Chauhan, who created the program in the fall of 2014 with colleague Allison Tevald, said the inspiration for Project Write Now came from wanting to combine her two passions in life: writing and teaching.
Chauhan, who previously worked at Teacher Magazine and as a teacher at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, said she was inspired to create the program after working with Youth Communication, a program that teaches writing skills to children in the foster care system.
“I really wanted to bring these opportunities to kids,” she said.
“Allison and I partnered up and wanted to create an organization that really promotes writing and creates thoughtful expression. We really wanted to bring these opportunities to kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it.
“The students who find Project Write Now have already discovered writing’s benefits and possibilities,” said Tevald in a press release, adding that the program has reached out to nearly 200 students in Red Bank and Asbury Park, as well as Keansburg.
For Chauhan, who lives in Little Silver, Red Bank is a community with a creative streak that is a good fit for Project Write Now.
“I love Red Bank. There is just something about this community. There is so much energy and passion and the children are excited to learn. It’s a community that already has this artistic vibe and we are trying to round it out by providing a literary and writing community as well.”
For more information, visit the website at www.projectwritenow.com or contact Development Director Suzanne Ritger at 347-248-6605 or Suzanne@projectwrite now.org.
Contact Michael Nunes at Mnunes@gmnews.com.