Georgia Writers Association (GWA), as the statewide support organization for writers in all genres, is partnering with the state board of the PTA in extending an invitation to writers groups across the state to form an alliance for the specific purpose of supporting and encouraging student writers (K-12 and to age 18) in Georgia.

The focus of this alliance will be the concerted effort to encourage students in schools all over the state to improve their writing skills. This will occur through presentations by approved members and other volunteers, who are expert in aspects of varied writing genres. Volunteers are poets, fiction writers, freelancers, advertising and copywriters, film and TV writers, journalists, storytellers, historians, biographers, etc. in short, writers of all manner of materials. A training program for participants is on the agenda for development.

David Soto and Wilduisa Doanes have agreed to serve as Co-Chairs of GWA’s Young Georgia Writers (YGW) and the Writing in the Schools (WitS) programs. They will coordinate this coalition.

Goals - YGA The purpose of Young Georgia Writers is to encourage an interest in and to promote the highest standards of writing among elementary, middle and high school students. The goal of YGW, as a junior membership arm of Georgia Writers Association, is to establish a statewide, interactive community of young writers and create a network of programs involving students and mentors. In a collaborative effort, Georgia Writers Association and The Word Works Network will work to provide these students with the centralized infrastructure, management, resources, web-hosting, promotion, artistic guidance, and hands-on technical assistance to write and maintain quality on-line writing publications. YGW members will be mentored by members of Georgia Writers Association, their works will appear on GWA’s website, and YGW will participate in The Word Works Network, an interactive community of high school students, on-line writing programs, and Internet journals.

Goals - WitS The purpose of the WitS program is to encourage literacy and written communication skills in younger students to help prepare them for a successful future, no matter what they choose to do in life. It is the formal expansion of what GW has already done in participating elementary and middle schools over the last several years. The Georgia PTA has come forward to partner with us in this project and other writing organizations have agreed to continue to participate. As time passes we hope to involve writers and writers groups all over Georgia to help us raise the caliber of our students’ writing achievements. When we receive a request from a school, approved writers are assigned to present programs on anything dealing with written language, from using a dictionary or Thesaurus to all the various aspects of writing, i.e., writing haiku and other poetry, creating a newsletter, writing advertising copy, short story writing, journaling, etc.

Young Georgia Writers is the junior membership arm of Georgia Writers Association. The Writing in the Schools program (WitS) is our focus on literacy and primarily encourages elementary and middle school students to improve their reading and writing skills and to express their thoughts and feelings through the written word.

The Georgia Poetry Society (statewide) and the Village Writers group (Atlanta) have already agreed to participate in this benchmark program. Responding to requests from parents, teachers, and language coordinators, these organizations have cooperated in the past by sending volunteers into Georgia’s school systems to present programs to students. An alliance of writers’ groups across the state ensures that dedicated volunteers’ opportunity and effectiveness will be heightened and students will be the benefactors.

It is expected that as other writing groups, clubs and organizations learn of this project they will join the effort to aid Georgia students gain writing skills and an understanding of the professional opportunities of the writing life.

To join the initiative, please complete the WitS Application form
(you'll need Acrobat Reader, free download).

For additional information, contact David Soto or Wilduisa Doanes Co-Chairs, or Geri Taran, Executive Director of Georgia Writers Association, at 770-943-5699. Also, please see: Young Georgia Writers.