Alex tells the story of his transformation from a nameless, unmotivated student to peer leader and Boston University scholarship recipient, all by finding the right school for him, Fenway High Pilot School. He describes why the new school was a better environment for him, because of individual attention and the realization that "change is possible."
This story was created as part of a Year Up writing class. Year Up's mission is to close the "Opportunity Divide" by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Their model is a one-year, intensive training program that provides urban young adults, ages 18-24, with a combination of hands-on skill development, college credits, and corporate apprenticeships. Learning Director and Writing Program Leader Melanee Grondahl attended the first MassIMPACT Spreading the Stories train-the-trainer in the fall of 2005, and incorporated digital storytelling into her creative writing class. This multi-week curriculum was based on matching the digital storytelling process to an educational standards based writing instructional plan. These Year Up digital stories were also facilitated with the help of Damien Rudzinski.
