Freedom Writers Foundation

05/29/2026

Our hearts are overflowing from this New York trip! Our day in Westmoreland Central School District this week was action-packed and absolutely auspicious.

We hosted an assembly, a community meet-and-greet, an evening presentation, and witnessed 61 six graders acting as docents for a touring Anne Frank exhibit. Check out the faces of the adults as they learn from these amazing kids! 😭🫶✨ Families, area school officials, and local and state representatives were moved to the core by the knowledge, insight, and empathy of these young people.

We were overjoyed to share the experience with 25 Freedom Writer Teachers who joined us from all around New York state. It was a reunion, a reinvigoration, and a reminder of the sheer power of storytelling to transform the lives of young people. We have more to share about this trip! Stay tuned!

05/29/2026

This week in upstate New York has been pure magic. ✨ It has felt like we are part of something larger than ourselves, and we can’t wait to share our journey with you.

We started the week in Sauquoit with Freedom Writer Teacher Tammy and her remarkable students. The tears and the hugs were too many to count as students threw themselves into the exercises and got vulnerable with their stories. Parents proudly stood witness, getting swept away in the flood of emotions.

This was just one of many events this week that were almost too beautiful to describe. Stay tuned for the next installment of our upstate NY adventures… 📝🧡🥹

05/28/2026

It was an emotional day last week as we culminated our residency with the Hope Scholars in Adelanto, CA. These fantastic middle schoolers were so grown up, yet they had so much “kid” left in them. It was wonderful to witness both their wisdom and their sense of play emerge throughout the workshops, and ultimately they wrote honest and beautiful reflections. 📝🌄🧡

Hope Scholars, we were honored to meet you! Cheers to your very bright futures!

05/26/2026

Culminating our latest residency at Green Valley High School in Yucaipa had us all in tears! The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools supported our students with a final “book launch” of their finished stories, properly printed and bound so they can forever remember their wonderful writing. The students titled it, “From Barriers to Breakthroughs.” 😭🫶🧡

We can’t wait to see what this extraordinary group does next!

05/20/2026

We were back with students at our beloved Oak View High School in Yucaipa this week! We did a Toast for Change, Fruit Loop Bingo, and honestly just had way too much fun. The students are really getting into the work, and seem to be getting a lot out of it too. We love doing these workshops!

05/19/2026

Our friends at Anne Frank LA paid a visit to a wonderful Freedom Writer Teacher, Tammy, in New York last week! Tammy worked with them to bring a traveling exhibit on Anne Frank to the Sauquoit Valley Central School District.

Displayed at Sauquoit Valley High School, all the 6th-8th grade students and two High School English classes were able to pass through the exhibit and learn about the extraordinary young Anne Frank.

Tammy helped select 12 special students to get trained and act as docents, guiding their peers through the immersive museum experience.

She challenged her students to pen an essay answering the question "Why is Anne's story important to share in today's world?" Their answers showed that they saw the lessons of empathy, tolerance, and compassion in Anne's story before they were even trained. Tammy shared with us that the student docents were absolutely wonderful, and seeing the genuine enjoyment on their faces at engaging in this educational experience has us buzzing with joy!

It’s truly amazing what happens when Freedom Writer Teachers bring education to life. Thank you for sharing, Tammy! And thank you Anne Frank LA for enabling this exhibit!

05/16/2026

Our last visit to Tri-City Community School was an emotional one! Huge thanks to Freedom Writers Shanita and Tony for making our final visit this week so impactful. Our residency at Tri-City was fast and furious, with each workshop building on the last to a climax of emotion with this extraordinary group. They have been through so much, these continuation school students. They are powerful, persistent, passionate, and full of so much potential. As we said in our Toast for Change, cheers to the future! May it be filled with hope and brighter days. 🥂🍎🧡

05/15/2026

We concluded our residency at Mesa Linda Middle School this week with two days of visits with both faculty and students.

Day 1 was Professional Development day with a dedicated group of staff and teachers determined to make the benefits of our workshops with the students long-lasting.

Day 2 was our final Student Workshop, where we toasted for change, played the line game, and bid farewell to this very special group of student writers. Special shout-out to Freedom Writer Shanita for her effervescence in helping lead the final day. 💖

Cheers to you, Mesa Linda! 🥂🍎🏫

05/13/2026

Freedom Writer Tye joined us last week for a productive workshop at Tri-City Community School out in San Bernardino, CA. These students are in some truly difficult circumstances—many have been displaced from their Los Angeles homes for one reason or another, and Tri-City is a last resort for some. But this school, this education, and this work can become a lifeline. The students are talented, vulnerable, deep, and contain so much potential. It’s definitely time to rewrite some futures. 🧡📝✨

05/13/2026