Do The Write Thing

Do the Write Thing

Founded	1994
Type	Non-profit
Focus	Violence reduction
Location	Washington, D.C.
Website	http://www.dtwt.org/

The Do the Write Thing Challenge (or DtWT) is a writing program for middle-school 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]

1. How has youth violence and drugs affected my life?
2. What are the causes of youth violence?
3. What can I do about youth violence?

After this, a panel, of usually 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]

In February 2014 chairpersons of the program representing the efforts of 46 states gathered at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN to discuss the challenges and opportunities they are facing.^[19]

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

References

External links

• Official site