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Community Building and Resources
VOX teens often engage in activities to improve their communities. In the past, Girls Group has taken to the streets of Atlanta, sharing facts about sexual assault and where young people can turn to for help.
Recognizing that resources for teens are limited, a group of VOX teens also began developing a Web site that would provide teens with information they need to help them with everyday issues.
Currently, the VOX Resource Guide includes information on a variety of teen issues like drugs/addiction, homelessness, mental health, sex/STDs and violence. As we continue to grow, we hope to include other topics and concerns that can benefit teens.
As teens, we know that sometimes you are faced with challenging decisions and you just want to know what your options are. Our job here is not to tell you what to do, but to provide you with the latest resources. There are many services available to help you in a variety of ways, so please take advantage and enjoy!
Workshops
Since 1993, VOX has offered free workshops to VOX distributors to strengthen students' learning and voices in our community. To sign up for a workshop, simply fill out a workshop request form.
VOX facilitators tailor workshops to fit each class or organization's particular needs, skill levels and interests of teen participants. All VOX worksops include interactive activities and engaging discussions designed to help teens express themselves effectively and maybe even become published writers.
A sampling of past VOX workshop partners:
- GUIDE: Gwinnett United in Drug Education
- Atlanta Community Food Bank
- Bannekar High School
- Fayette County Library
- West End Academy
- Shiloh High School
- Inman Middle School
- Latin American Association
Sample Workshops
Below are two sample workshops to give you an idea of what we offer:
WORKSHOP 1: Designed for a community-based after-school program.
- Teambuilding game/icebreaker
- Introductions
- Information about VOX
- Descriptive Writing Activity: The facilitators ask teens to use all their creativity (and the five senses) to describe a piece of candy. Teens share their writings and offer constructive feedback.
- Poetry Cafe: Teens read "The Wall" (VOX's poetry page) and talk briefly about what they think makes good poetry. Does it have to rhyme? What's the role of description? Facilitators discuss literary techniques like alliteration, haikus, similes and metaphors. Teens write and share original pieces.
- Evaluations
Workshop 2: Designed for a 9th grade Social Studies class studying politics.
- Brainstorm: Facilitators ask teens to position themselves in the classroom based on how important different issues are to them (jobs, education, immigration, healthcare, transportation, war, voting age, etc.). Then, teens position themselves in the classroom according to how important different qualities are in a politician (honesty, work ethic, approachability, etc.)
Teens write about their responses to each of them. Why were different issues and characteristics more or less important? What themes did they notice about where their peers stood on different issues?
- Information about VOX
- Politics Reloaded: Facilitators organize a discussion about persuasion. Students use their information about persuasion to debate about political issues (e.g. war, transportation, the environment). The debate is scored based on the teens' use of the persuasion techniques they brainstormed earlier.
- Letters to the Editor: Students discuss different methods of civic engagement and how to raising their voices effectively. Then, students craft letters to the editor, responding to stories in VOX. Students may share their letters.
- Evaluations
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