With support from the California Arts Council, Cinnamongirl Inc will enhance our proven Write Your Story program to serve 75 girls of color (ages 13-18) annually through our “Voices of Belonging” initiative. The $25,000 grant will strengthen our masterclass model with accomplished published authors of color while adding Community Culture Bearer sessions connecting girls with local storytellers and elders.
Each participant will conduct interviews with family or community members as regular writing assignments, creating both source material for original work and a community archive preserving local narratives. The program culminates in an annual Community Storytelling Showcase where girls present their writing alongside collected community stories.
This approach addresses barriers to arts access compounded by racial and cultural identity by creating culturally-responsive programming that honors participants’ heritage while developing artistic voices.
Cinnamongirl serves girls of color ages 8-18 through three age-specific sisterhood cohorts — Sprouts (elementary), Waves (middle school), and Radiance (high school) — each offering developmentally appropriate programming across the school year and into summer.
Every cohort is anchored by a social-emotional learning curriculum facilitated by licensed therapists and coaches from The Wright Institute, giving girls concrete tools for identity development, emotional wellbeing, and self-knowledge. Big Sister/Little Sister mentorship creates an intergenerational sisterhood that extends well beyond any single program year.
Literary and performing arts drive our voice development programming. Write Your Story is a year-long literary arts program where girls receive instruction in fiction, poetry, and narrative nonfiction from female authors of color, supported by individual writing coaches, and culminating in a published annual anthology.
Travelgirl provides tiered travel — local overnight adventures for elementary girls, domestic exploration for middle schoolers, and international journeys for high schoolers — using the world as a classroom for identity and leadership.