Written by Catya Martinez-Gloria & Grace Lundell, Photos courtesy of Deep Center
Savannah’s Deep Center lives up to its profound name. It is within Deep that untold stories are heard, policies are challenged and the once vulnerable voices of local youth become powerful vessels of change. Who are the forces behind Savannah’s empowered youth? Four members of Deep’s team gave insight
Key affiliates of Deep work every day to provide young adults with a welcoming space to grow as contributing members of society. Through programs that promote creative writing and hands-on workshops, Deep takes an artistic approach to enact change in the community.
SCAD Alumna and Deep’s Teaching Artist, Ariel Felton, shares why this method is most successful. “I think it goes back to Deep’s philosophy of their stories really mattering,” Felton said. “Even if it’s a poem, short story, or a piece of art they’ve created, I think we’re really helping young people to express themselves and stand up for themselves through their work.”
Deep’s largest program, The Young Author Project, reaches roughly 400 students per year. Hosted at 17 sites across the city, the program’s structured curriculum works toward specific goals each week. Although, they remain flexible for each site’s program.
While there may be a main structure to the workshops, it is left up to each site’s leaders to determine what lesson plans best fit specific students. “They can decide what sort of reading or activity would really resonate with their students. So, the same workshop might look totally different between schools,” program manager Maria Zoccola said.
Alongside the leaders, volunteers come in to help empower the youth at local middle schools. Known as Writing Fellows, these volunteers donate their time each semester to mentor at creative writing workshops. While also earning university internship credit, Writing Fellows become invaluable to the program as they fully invest themselves with each school they’re assigned to. Forming everlasting bonds, volunteers connect with their students as they provide them the tools needed to succeed in life.
“The cool thing about young people is that they’re willing to grow.”
Coco Papy
Similar to the positive impact Deep has on its volunteers, staff members can all agree on the lessons their students have taught them. “The cool thing about young people is that they’re willing to grow,” said Director of Development and Communications, Coco Papy. “For them, the process of growth and change is not necessarily something to fear.”
As creative writers in their own right, some members have found that their personal work has also been influenced. “I say this all the time, but you can’t encourage a room full of students to write and then go home and not do the same,” Felton said. The teachers learn from the students by seeing the way they tackle each issue,
For other members of Deep’s team, hearing the struggles experienced by local youth hits a bit closer to home. A Savannah native and recent University of Georgia graduate, Raphael Eissa, now serves as the program’s Community Engagement Coordinator. Having participated in Deep programming in high school, Eissa can reflect on Deep’s progress. “It’s radically different. I think there’s been a very significant shift in the organizational approach,” Eissa said. “They’re sort of uplifting really important conversations that weren’t being had in Savannah.”
With the students that Eissa works with, the potential for great change in the community is something he is confident about now more than ever. “They’re being equipped with the tools that they need to be self-advocates so we can support them in a very real, substantive way. That sort of gives me hope,” Eissa said.
Deep Center is changing the community with a focus on creating a future generation that will help make a stronger and fairer society. Having celebrated their 10-year anniversary last year, members of Deep’s staff have big plans in store for positively impacting the lives of the youth. Through policy recommendations and additional programs, the organization looks forward to the next decade.
Deep Center is hosting its annual fall fiesta Saturday, October 26, from five to eight p.m in the Starland District. For tickets and more information on Deep Center, visit their website.
