April is National Poetry Month. Here in Seattle, poetry is celebrated not just during the month of April, but year-round by the people working at Pongo, who combine at-risk youth and poetry to make something transformative.
Pongo is a nonprofit organization that assists youth healing from childhood trauma and abuse through poetry and creative writing. For 18 years, Pongo has served the youth of the greater Seattle area through writing projects inside juvenile detention, state psychiatric hospitals and other sites.
The unique therapeutic poetry programs of Pongo are the brainchild of founder Richard Gold. Pongo uses volunteers to lead the various writing programs throughout the area. The projects leaders come from a variety of backgrounds such as psychology, psychiatry, family counseling, creative writing and teaching. They find unity by employing the Pongo method of compassion and writing while working with the teens.
Gold's recently released book, 'Writing With At-Risk Youth: The Pongo Writing Method', is a guide for teachers and others who are interested in the tools developed by the Pongo program.
At-risk teens may feel a combination of intense emotions such as anger, sadness, and resentment. Often youth have few options for expressing such emotions without harming themselves or others. Many have experienced profound emotional trauma. Pongo's writing programs provide an outlet for restorative expression that can lead to healing. By finding their voices and telling their stories, the youth also discover new strengths and hope for their futures.
For more information on Pongo or how to become involved, visit www.pongoteenwriting.org.
