With more and more creative writing programs being cut from Richmond-city school curriculums, where do students turn to express themselves and cultivate their writing skills? As a Richmond mom and admitted lover-of-literature, hearing the phrase “cutting writing programs to the bare minimum in Richmond-area schools” popped my suburbian bubble upon immediately upon contact.
Recently I learned about one solution that pumped me up: The Podium Foundation. This brainchild was founded in 2008 by Richmond-based author David Robbins, The Podium Foundation has been igniting and recognizing powerful student writing. Working in close partnership with Richmond’s public high schools and other advocates, David and Lindy Bumgarner, Executive Director, have been inspired to develop the inherent gifts of students through writing.
Children in this program self-select. No mandates required; they are self-motivated to participate in something positive in which they develop greater skills and also build relationships with themselves, their peers and teachers throughout the area. They come to Podium from a diverse a mix of means, lifestyles and environments, but when they participate, they are one united team, growing in capability and confidence, and supporting each other along the way.
These kids are building relationships with teachers that, due to hormones and culture clash are often the same teachers with whom they find themselves at odds. At the same time, they’re building their resumes when often these students wouldn’t ever dream of having one.
For some, that means presenting their prose in front of large audiences, and having their work published in classrooms, online, or via a printed journal that is
distributed to more than 15,000 readers each year. The Podium Journal celebrates writing in five categories: short fiction, short memoir, op/ed, poetry and art.
As one teacher who has been with Podium since its inception expressed it: imagine hearing from a student who had up to that point only read the bare-minimum required in school, saying “Mr. V, I loved this book so much I read it twice over Christmas break!” But that’s the tip of the iceberg for Podium’s accomplishments as they enter their fourth year of programming; Podium is:
- Bringing to city teachers an intense, focused and local summer writing academy
- Operating Podium clubs in every city high school
- Developing groundbreaking teaching tools, such as Inspiration²
- Starting the Podium Online Journal, increasing the number of slots available for publication of student work into the hundreds
- Distributing annually over 12,000 free copies of the Podium Literary Journal to the Greater Richmond Metro area
- Fostering key partnerships with VCU, Communities In Schools of Richmond, RPS, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch
- Expanding our reach to the city’s middle schools
Want to get involved? Email the Podium Foundation leadership to see how you can get involved in spreading the word, fundraising, and building literacy of Richmond-city youth.
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