About the Nonprofit
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Mighty Writers (MW) teaches kids, ages three to 17, to think and write with clarity so they can achieve success at school, work, and life.
Mighty Writers is the ONLY nonprofit in the region that provides:
-Free
-High-quality
-Bilingual
-Culturally and community-oriented
-Out-of-school time writing programs
-To kids ages 3-17
-directly in the neighborhoods where they live and go to school.
We firmly focus on amplifying and empowering the voices of our students while providing high-quality, community-oriented writing programs.
All of our programs are designed to confront educational inequity in the marginalized communities we serve. When kids begin to think clearly and write with clarity, grades improve, personalities become more upbeat, and futures come into view. We see self-esteem soar.
Our vision is to improve academic performance and social-emotional skills in the short term and alleviate poverty in the long term. Through our core values of resilience, respect, and optimism, our young people develop their superpower--the power of the pen. Our long-term objectives are for all Mighty students to become advanced thinkers and clear writers: college graduates who continue to reflect our Mighty values of kindness, integrity, and resilience.
To accomplish our goals, our programs take a holistic approach. We know that in order to think and write with clarity, the whole child must be supported. To be Whole is to be Mighty. We also know that kids can’t think clearly when they are hungry. That’s why we continue to support our communities with food and other essential resources.
Our Mighty Whole Child Approach to Literacy enables our students to continue on their trajectory to academic success while combating hunger, learning loss, and emotional health issues.
MW Core Literacy Programs:
-Afterschool Academy
-College and Career Prep.
-Literary Arts Culturally Relevant Workshops
-One-to-One Mentorships
-Mighty Toddlers
MW incorporates evidence-based mindfulness practices to support the socioemotional needs and confidence-building of our students. Our writers learn to understand and effectuate concepts like gratitude, confidence, respect, and compassion.
Food and Literacy Distribution: In March 2020, MW pivoted to provide lunches to kids. Children cannot think clearly or write with clarity if they are hungry. Today, we have 8 distribution sites and distribute food and other essential items to 2500+ families per week.
Vaccine Efforts: MW hosts Covid-19 vaccine clinics in the communities we serve in partnership with clinics and hospitals.
In the 2021-22 school year, we taught nearly 4,459 students in 104 unique literacy, mindfulness and arts programs, paired 248 students in 1:1 mentorships, and distributed 204,000 lunches,78,000 boxes of groceries, 2,368,376 diapers, 472,000 menstrual products, 17,050 books, 7,000 cans of infant formula, and 13,500 packs of baby wipes. MW distributed over 800,000 pounds of food.
MW primarily serves more than 90% of BIPOC students in areas marked by high poverty, crime, and inequity. Demographically, our Mighty youth are 49% Black; 20% Hispanic; 17% White; 7% Asian; 4% other; 2% prefer not to answer.
Decades of studies show that student racial disparity remains an evident problem in the US's public education system. In the communities we serve, less than 70% of youth graduate high school, and an average of only 35% of students in each grade band are literacy proficient for their age group. In our bilingual neighborhoods, more than 65% of Hispanic male students do not complete high school.
Our out-of-school-time curriculum has offered students academic enrichment and experiential experiences throughout Greater Philadelphia since 2009. In the progressing years, we have expanded to serve youth throughout Philadelphia, Chester County, New Jersey, and Washington Heights, NY.
MW celebrated its ten-year anniversary in 2019. We opened 2022 with eight active locations, a reach of 3,200 students per school year, help from over 500 active volunteers, a staff of 35, and a $4+ million organizational budget. With an email list of over 28,000, thousands of social media followers, and program coverage in the Washington Post, the New Yorker Magazine, NPR, WHYY, CBS, NBC News, People magazine, and more—MW is a movement!
