“Nonprofit Founder Encourages Youth to Put it in Writing” from Cleveland.com
By Diane DiPiero, cleveland.com
The written word is a powerful tool, especially for young people who want to discover their voice and share it with others. At Lake Erie Ink: a writing space for youth, workshops and weekly programs help children and teenagers strengthen their writing techniques as well as their confidence.
“Our programs build a community of ideas and support among youth from many different schools, backgrounds and abilities,” explains Amy Rosenbluth, who cofounded Lake Erie Ink in 2011 with Cynthia Larsen to fill a void in community creative programs. “There is a feeling of ‘home’ in our space that allows youth to feel like their words matter and that their story has as much validity as the person sitting next to them.”
Rosenbluth’s experience in writing and working with young people dates back to the early 1990s, when she received her English teaching credentials. At the time she was living in San Francisco and became inspired by the Bay Area Writers’ Project Model, which encourages writing among schoolage children. Helping to create the Teen Poetry Slam in San Francisco in 1994 “transformed and informed my vision of how to engage and motivate young people,” she says.
These experiences proved valuable when Rosenbluth moved back to Cleveland and worked with the Shaker Heights Youth Center. “I received training in the prevention field and left the classroom to work with youth in more alternative and nontraditional settings, using writing and creative expression to help them find their voice,” she says.
Starting Lake Erie Ink was exciting and challenging, according to Rosenbluth. “We had a plan that we had outlined pretty clearly in our first grant proposal, but we needed to build the infrastructure to make it work,” she says. “Putting together a founding board, developing our policies and procedures, setting up a bank account all new tasks for two English teachers to take on, but we did it!”
Founding a nonprofit requires tenacity and an understanding that challenges will continue to arise. For Lake Erie Ink, finding and keeping sustainable funding remains an ongoing goal. “We want to make sure that our programs are available for all youth that means we don’t want to make any of our workshops cost something that will keep any families out.”
What it takes to succeed
Trust your instincts, Rosenbluth says. “If you feel strongly about a direction you want to move in and can support the plan, go for it.” At the same time, don’t be afraid to seek assistance when you feel you need it. “While I have learned a lot in the last five years, there is a lot that I don’t know,” Rosenbluth says. “Asking for support, for guidance, for howtos has been critical.” In the end, a nonprofit leader needs to keep the end goal in mind. “Know the ‘why’ of what you are doing,” she concludes, “and stay in line with your mission.”