Mighty Writers Sets its Sights on South Philadelphia with a New Bilingual Center

Mighty Writers is a dedicated to teaching Philadelphia kids how to think and write with clarity in order to achieve the highest level of success in school and in the work world. To date,the nonprofit served over 1,000 Philadelphia students through daily afterschool programs, nightly classes, scholarship programs, college preparatory courses and more, and they are are getting ready for the their next endeavor, opening a bilingual center at 1025 S. 9th Street in the heart of the Italian Market, dubbed El Futuro

 

For residents like Martha Tellaz and her children, Mighty Writers is a safe haven. Once a week they make their way to a Mighty Writers class to strengthen their English skills. During the class, instructors use different techniques such as: illustrations, comics, and writing prompts to help the students express their thoughts. According to Tim Whitaker, Mighty Writer’s Founder and Executive Director “getting the students to think clearly is a big step to writing well, that’s when the good things are going to happen." 

The new 2,500 sq. ft. space will provide services similar programming as the other locations but many of the workshops will focus specifically on the Mexican community, which Mighty Writers hopes will better connect the students to the writing process. “In school, I have to write about different people in history. It’s not fun. But writing at Mighty Writers is fun, and you get to meet new people.” Alan Tellaz explained. 

Also part of the plan is including parents like Martha Tellaz into the fold. “The parents can come in, and feel at home, these parents as a whole came here with the purpose of giving their kids better opportunities and a chance at something they didn’t have,” explains Laura Karabell, a Spanish teacher who will serve as the director of El Futuro, and is also a well-known member of the Mexican American community. 

Karabell went on to explain that “Classes will mostly be in English but students will also write in Spanish. Most are fluent in English, but could fine-tune their writing, spelling, and grammar.” El Futuro will run from 3:00 – 6:00pm on school days and also offer weekend programming.

With the new center, there are expectations of potential partnerships with local businesses as well as new students experiencing Mighty Writers programming. There is an importance of building community that the organization has tapped into. The mission is to build community – parents, kids, volunteers, and funders, are all part of the Mighty Writers success.

The work of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is made possible through the generous support of committed individuals and institutions.