We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch.

The Intuitive Writing Project is a transformative arts program, a unique hybrid of creative writing class, support group, and personal development program. As young people write their stories and assert their voice, they discover who they are, who they want to become, and how to find their own answers.

Although we talk a lot about the principles of writing, leadership and intuitive self-trust, we are not teachers so much as we are facilitators. Our job is to facilitate a creative, empowering writing experience for each and every student. As facilitators, our job is just to "mirror back" the wisdom and power of each writer, to support them in discovering their own greatness—and becoming the leader of their own life.
 

Unless a student agrees to have their work published on our blog, Intuitivevoice.org, they reserve the right to keep their writing private. When you enroll your child in the Intuitive Writing Project, you are entrusting them with their own personal development process. This process is unique for each writer, because each writer is unique, endowed with her own unique path and purpose.

We hope your child will share what they write with you. (For tips on listening to the writing that is shared, visit our Power of Listening page.) But we want everyone to feel safe to write about the things they aren't yet comfortable to share anywhere else. Because there's so much we can't share from the classroom, we want to share our commitment to young writers, no matter what:

 

Our Commitment:

 

1. We are committed to seeing the unique power and wholeness of each person, listening with empathy, respect, and unconditional support.

2.  We are committed to respecting the wisdom and deep inner-knowing of each person, to listen to their struggles without intervening, and to foster emotional resilience and problem solving—so that everyone is empowered to find their own answers.

3.  We are committed to giving each writer the structure, stability and safe space they need to express themselves honestly. We do this by providing a relaxed, playful and encouraging environment where everyone feels free to be their most authentic self, to listen to each other, care for each other, and declare what they know to be true.

4.  We are committed to supporting each person in the discovery of their own strengths, talents, passions, interests and personal values.

5.  We are committed to giving everyone the time and space to verbalize and “own” all their feelings and experiences, free from judgment, to express whatever comes up—sadness or anger or fear or excitement or everything at the same time!—and know that whatever comes up is necessary, valid, and important. (It is through self-expression that we develop self-knowledge, and through self-knowledge that we develop self-trust.)

 

6.  We are committed to deeply listening to, valuing, and affirming the immeasurable inner life of each individual, and to being fully present and open-hearted as witness to their intrinsic worth.

7.  We are committed to modeling the same kindness and respect we expect from each writer, in how they regard both themselves and each other. Empathy (and self-empathy) is the only guideline. In this way, we work together to create and sustain a supportive community in which everyone is equally valued, validated, and encouraged.