By Brandon Seng
ConnectMichigan Alliance

When Communities In Schools – The Answer to Saginaw County’s Promise heard that Erin Gruwell would visit their community, they knew they had to create an opportunity for their educators to hear her message.  Gruwell, who taught at Wilson High School in Long Beach California, used education to change the lives of 150 students who were lost in the education system there.  Her 150 students overcame adversity and broke down stereotypes, all graduating from high school and pursuing college careers.  She explains that this was accomplished through giving her students a voice, a voice that has been heard by millions in the pages of the published text, The Freedom Writers Diary – How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and The World Around Them.

Gruwell’s work recently inspired the movie Freedom Writers, and her ideas are being used in staff trainings and implemented into lesson plans across the nation.  Gruwell was booked to speak as part of Horizons Town Talk series at the Horizons Conference Center in Saginaw, a program that brings five speakers per year to an audience of 1,100 season ticket holders.

At the request of Communities In Schools, Donn Cramton, Communication Director at Horizons who oversees their Town Talk series, volunteered to host a dinner that would connect the faculty of the Saginaw school system with Gruwell the night before her scheduled speech.  As a result of this initial contact by Communities In Schools, school teachers and administrators would be given the opportunity to dine and speak informally with Gruwell about her experiences in their shared field.

Nearly 40 educators attended the event, all finding Gruwell inspirational.  Similarities could be seen between her students and those in Saginaw.  Sharing some of the same economic, motivational and engagement issues, teachers from the Saginaw community were provided with a fresh outlook on methods for addressing the situations their youth face. 

Stephanie Wirtz, Saginaw County’s Promise Coordinator, was thrilled that this connection could be made, and that the teachers from Saginaw were given the opportunity to speak with Gruwell.

“I am hoping Erin Gruwell inspired those present to go out and make a difference to the kids that others may have forgotten,” she said.  “We are going to continue working with the school districts to hopefully bring Erin’s curriculum into the schools.”

All educators attending the event were given a personal invitation by Gruwell to attend her speech the following afternoon. Renee Johnston, President and CEO of the Saginaw Community Foundation, spoke about Gruwell’s influence.  “By bringing Erin to our community, the educators in our area can bring creativity to their jobs, and hopefully create some of the same opportunities for our children that Erin has for hers.”

For more information about the efforts of Communities In Schools – The Answer to Saginaw County’s Promise visit http://www.cisnet.org/saginawcounty/.  Information about The Freedom Writers is available at http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org.