Students write. We listen.
It’s more than a tagline.
Do the Write Thing is a national writing program where participating students communicate their experiences with youth violence through written word, share their ideas for reducing violence, and even have the opportunity to let their voices be heard on the national stage.
Each year, nearly 50 students from across the country are selected as Do the Write Thing ambassadors. They travel to Washington, D.C. for the Do the Write Thing Recognition Summit, visit with their local legislators and policy makers, and share their ideas for creating sustainable change.
For more than two decades, the Do the Write Thing challenge has been active in Chicago, empowering student voice.
This year, more than 700 students participated in the challenge, and a team of volunteers selected two students, seventh grader Beautiful Pearson of Parker Elementary School and eighth grader Rylei Thompson of Dixon Elementary School, to serve as the city’s ambassadors at the Summit, held in the nation’s capital.
Last month, Chicago ambassador Rylei Thompson traveled to Washington, D.C., along with her teacher Ms. Tamika Robinson, her parents Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, Parker Elementary school counselor Ms. Brenda Armstrong, and CIS of Chicago team members Dr. Judith Allen and Ms. Robin Koelsch.
“Rylei, not one to shrink away from an opportunity to have her voice heard, was in her element throughout our time at our nation’s capital,” Ms. Koelsch said. “She thrived from day one.”
Rylei and the entire delegation from Chicago began their experience in D.C. with a breakfast orientation, where they heard from G. Lamar Stewart, Chief of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office’s External Engagement & Government Affairs Division.
Rylei’s first evening in D.C. concluded with a dinner hosted at the Residence of the Ambassador to Kuwait. The Kuwait-America Foundation is the founder and primary sponsor of Do the Write Thing. The program was born out of the Foundation’s desire to reduce youth violence in communities across the country.
The second day of the trip included a visit to the United States Supreme Court, a special dinner just for the student ambassadors, and an open-top, double deck bus tour of D.C.
On the final day, Rylei toured Capitol Hill and had the opportunity to share her important perspective with Chicago legislators.
“Perhaps the most pivotal moment and the time Rylei shined the brightest, was when we got to meet directly with legislative staff from Senator Tammy Duckworth’s office,” Ms. Koelsch said. “There Rylei, our Chicago educators, and Rylei’s mom, Tocarra, spoke about what their community needs and shared their personal experiences with policy changemakers.”
After the visit to Capitol Hill, Rylei and her fellow ambassadors visited the Library of Congress where they held the leather-bound book of their writings. Through Do the Write Thing, Rylei is now a published author with her work placed in the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world.
The Summit concluded with a powerful recognition dinner ceremony where the student ambassadors shared excerpts of their writings. The ceremony also featured remarks from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, White House Correspondent for the PBS News Hour Laura Barron- Lopez, and Annie Ray, the 2024 Grammy Music Educator Award recipient.
“This experience is undoubtedly one that none of us will soon forget,” Ms. Koelsch said, “and most importantly, honored the work and talents of our Chicago Do the Write Thing ambassadors.”
