Advocacy
We invite you to find a prompt that sparks something within you, and then get to writing! You may write however you feel comfortable and open. Some people enjoy dimming the lights, or finding a quiet, comfortable, and peaceful place to focus. There are no rules to this practice, but perhaps setting an alarm for 20 or 30 minutes would be a nice place to start. As you continue with your practice, you will find ways to adjust and create your perfect individual experience.
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While BRITE WRITE is a gift just for you, we have found that by sharing their work, some students have found the experience to be more impactful and empowering. If you choose to submit your work to us, please do so using the form below. We would love to publish you on our blog!
Prompt #3: Attitudes About Marijuana In 1981, the United States produced 2.2 million pounds of marijuana. Now, marijuana production is expected to reach 34.4 million pounds by the year 2025. California alone makes $817 million a year in taxes from the legal sale of marijuana. The way we see these numbers in everyday life is by seeing dispensaries in almost every main street of the city. Sometimes, these numbers are evident in seeing family members or friends smoking at school, parks, get togethers, in cars and sometimes on the job. Sometimes, we can even detect the smell of marijuana nearby. How has marijuana shown up in your life and what effects has it had on you or the people around you? What do you know about marijuana laws in our county, and do you agree with them?
Prompt #4: Attitudes About Partying Paaaarties! Whether through togetherness, seeing friends and relatives and maybe shaking a tail feather, a party can be a way to celebrate a person or important day with music, great food, and hopefully awesome company. There is something important to be mindful of when attending a party: it is crucial to be aware of the actions that you take and to be accountable for yourself. Depending on the party, perhaps there may be temptations or/and alcohol present. What are a few ways you can stay safe and make good decisions when attending a party that may have alcohol or other substances? How can you lead as an example for your younger siblings, cousins, or friends? It’s also important to make a plan for the evening so you can be safe. What are some ways that you can avoid peer pressure while attending a party and what are some things that may come up? What are some healthy things you can do with your peers that don't involve alcohol or drugs?
Prompt #5: Availability of Substances A neighbor, a close friend, an uncle, a parent, a sibling. All of these are people that may provide you with alcohol, marijuana, prescription pills and more. Perhaps some youth can easily access these things by walking into a dispensary and not being carded, or by having a friend or stranger buy alcohol from a store, or by obtaining fake ID’s, and lying about their age, and so on. What do you think easy drug accessibility says about our society? Do you think making drugs less easily accessible is possible and if so, how? How can we educate the community on underage drinking?
Prompt #6: The Criminal Justice System The purpose of the criminal justice system is to convict and punish individuals that have broken the law and to protect the innocent. It is commonly said that once you have entered the system, it is difficult to get out. Depending on the severity of a person's crime, an individual can lose certain rights and privileges. One of the constitutional rights that can be taken away to a person convicted of a felony is their right to vote. Do you feel like individuals who have one or more felonies on their records should have their voting rights taken away? How do you feel about the Black and Latinx population being marginalized communities, but making up a huge majority of people incarcerated? What are your thoughts on the Criminal Justice System? Do you think people are being treated equally? Do you trust that the system in place is fair and void of racial inequalities? If not, what changes would you make to the system?
Prompt #8: Injustice What does injustice feel like? Look like? Sound like? Have you ever witnessed something so unjust in your own life that it made you sick? What action did you take? What action did you wish you took, later? When something is not fair, what is it? Write about injustice. Maybe even write your senators and reps about it.
Prompt #9: Climate Change Have you ever thought about how climate change can affect our health? Maybe we see in the news the increase in wildfires causing unhealthy air; maybe we see heat waves, melting glaciers, animals dying, dangerous floods and a decline in water supply. Do you think the people in charge are doing everything they can to take this matter seriously and create a positive change are doing a good job? Perhaps you can look at this on a personal level, too. Many people think that, as a society, we need change to happen, and that can only be done if we come together and help our earth from all these toxins we are feeding it. How will you make that change happen? Do you think taking actions now against climate change will make your life better and/or safer, or will it only affect future generations? We are here to listen to your voice and encourage you to speak up. Do you agree or disagree: climate change is real and we need to take action? Either we slow it down if we can or learn to live with the change we can't stop anymore.
Prompt #10: Leadership Look around, and you can find leaders all around us. Kings, Queens, Presidents, Governors, Empresses, and prime ministers have shown leadership through their decisions, their orders, and, eventually, their legacy. There are also the leaders in our everyday lives -- maybe a parent, a friend, a teacher, a counselor, a celebrity-- who help pave the way, or provide guidance and unity. Maybe you are a leader yourself. But what qualities make a good leader? What makes an awful one? Is it possible that a leader could have had good intentions, but screwed up royally? Queen Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry the 8th, thought she was saving England by executing half of the Protestant population. Emperor Nero of Rome set his city on fire and danced a jig at the same time. Let’s reflect on leadership. Is there a time where you followed a leader, but realized later that you shouldn't have? Is there a time when leadership really changed your life for the better? Is there a leader you’d write in a superhero comic? How can a person be the best leader possible? And why might leadership be so important, anyway?