Mentoring for Creative Careers

Access to tech and creative industry employment

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Since 2001, WriteGirl has helped underserved Los Angeles youth develop a creative voice and enroll in college. Many of the youth we serve, primarily BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ teen girls and nonbinary youth, ages 13-24, have told us they want to go into creative careers but don’t know where to start. WriteGirl college students majoring in arts and media, have said their academic programs don’t provide the real-world guidance they need. In response, WriteGirl has piloted a Career Mentoring Program. At a time when diverse voices continue to be underrepresented in the arts, WriteGirl opens the door by pairing our mentors – professional screenwriters, songwriters, authors, journalists and more – with underserved youth, supporting their access to creative industry employment. “WriteGirl introduced me to women screenwriters who helped me realize that writing for film and television could be a career.” -Writer/director/producer and WriteGirl Alum, Jeanine Daniels.

Drawing upon a successful 23-year history of matching teens with creative writing mentors, the expanded “WriteGirl Career Mentoring Program” will guide teens and young adults towards creative careers. WriteGirl will recruit and train Career Mentors from its pool of 400 professional writer volunteers, the majority of whom work in media and the arts. Mentors will share their personal career path and industry expertise. Our goal is to have 100 youth and 100 Career Mentors participate. Mentors will lead mentees through our “WriteGirl Career Readiness Handbook,” helping them understand an array of careers in the creative economy, the skill sets they’ll need, and how to find internships, fellowships, education and job shadowing opportunities. Career Mentors will also provide individualized advice on key topics such as balancing long- and short-term career goals and overcoming "imposter syndrome." In addition to matched pairs, WriteGirl will offer an annual “Career Week,” helping a larger group of youth understand how they can prepare for a creative career through summer jobs, skill sets, coursework and activities. With over two decades of experience managing highly impactful creative writing and mentoring programs, a new program specifically focused on creative career attainment is a natural progression for WriteGirl. Program success is grounded in comprehensive training for mentors, giving them specific tools and approaches needed to be effective Career Mentors.

LA County will be energized by an influx of youthful, diverse, highly creative voices. Throughout the pilot phase of this program our mentors helped WriteGirl college students and grads attain jobs and internships at NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Animation, Warner Bros. Discovery, KPCC, Create CA, Exposition Review, The Road Theatre Company and many other studios, networks, production companies and media outlets. In addition to Career Mentors providing individualized mentoring, WriteGirl alumni working in creative careers, including poet Amanda Gorman, have remained active in the organization, sharing their experiences with WriteGirl youth. We are excited about the tremendous potential to scale up and serve an even greater number of youth. We envision expansion to eventually bring the WriteGirl Career Mentor Training to companies and organizations throughout LA County, helping their employees gain specific skills and approaches needed to effectively mentor youth toward creative careers.

WriteGirl conducts surveys, focus groups and meetings with youth participants to assess the impact of our mentoring programs and the Career Mentoring Pilot Program. We regularly collect testimonials and feedback from youth and Career Mentors on an ongoing basis, to learn about participants’ career progress and updates. We have a dedicated Slack channel where we share career updates from our youth and alums with our entire staff, helping connect our staff to the achievements of our youth as a direct result of their mentors. Many of our youth who have participated in the pilot phase of the Career Mentoring Program have established their own creative projects and initiatives in LA County, from films to publishing. “Now that I'm trying to establish myself in the film, TV and production field, WriteGirl has provided me with so many incredible connections. It's connected me with some of my current mentors today.” – Bethany Huang, WriteGirl Alum, screenwriter, and current WriteGirl mentor.