 | |
| Founded | 1994 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit |
| Focus | Violence reduction |
| Location |
|
| Website | http://www.dtwt.org/ |
The Do the Write Thing Challenge (or DtWT) is a writing program for junior high students organized by the U.S. National Campaign to Stop Violence. [1] [2] [3] Intended to reduce youth violence, the Do the Write Thing Essay Challenge Program began in 1994 as a local program in Washington, D.C. and expanded in 1996 to other cities. [4] [5] [6] According to Dr. Hassan Al-Ebraheem, founder and chairman of the Kuwait-America Foundation, the program has reached over 1.6 million children (as of July 2013) across the country since its foundation. [7]
Aimed at middle school students, one of the program's primary objectives is to motivate students to make a personal commitment, in writing, to help prevent and reduce youth violence in their home, school, and communities. [8] [9] [10] The students are then asked to address these three questions in an essay for submission: [11] [12]
- How has youth violence and drugs affected my life?
- What are the causes of youth violence?
- What can I do about youth violence?
After this, a panel, usually composed of volunteers or school staff, reads the essays and chooses "school finalists". [4] [10] [13] These “school finalists” continue on to a broader selection that is citywide. [2] [3] [10] [13] [14] Each year, two finalists from each city—one boy and one girl—along with their teacher and parent, are honored at a national recognition ceremony in Washington, DC. [12] [15] While in Washington, DC, the DTWT National Ambassadors visit the United States Library of Congress, The United States Supreme Court, the United States Capitol and the Kuwait Embassy. [16] [17] Their essays are published in one volume, which is then presented to the Library of Congress. [4] [10] [18]
The Challenge is the idea of Daniel Q. Callister, a Washington lawyer who says its purpose is four-fold: to provide children who have experienced or seen violence with a cathartic experience; to give them motivation to change their behavior; to be an education experience for teachers and the community; and to get adults to help solve the problem. [1] [4]
Sponsors of "Do the Write Thing" include:
- Kuwait America Foundation
- Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science
- Annenberg Foundation
- Criminal Justice Division of the Governor’s Office in Texas
- Marriott International
- Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
- Southwest Airlines
- Athletes for Hope
- America’s Promise Alliance
- Communities in Schools
- Greater Washington Urban League, Inc.
- Harlem Globetrotters
- National Counsel of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- United States National Guard