Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.

When I first began working with Ripple Foundation, it was in a support role for the Kids Write 4 Kids contest. Ripple receives hundreds of submissions each year from across Canada which need to be vetted to ensure they meet all contest requirements. From there, the top ten stories for judges are selected. After getting to know founder Ivy Wong, I really loved her energy, passion, and dedication to her cause and believed in it, too. As the writing contest is geared towards elementary school levels, Ivy wanted to launch something for teenagers–this is how the Wave Blog came about! My editorial background served the blog well, ensuring content was clean, clear, and error-free and gave our student writers a chance to work with a “real” editor.

What problem does it aim to solve?

Ripple Foundation aims to foster creativity in Canadian youth through writing.

When did you start/join it?

I have been working with the Ripple Foundation for eight years and have watched it grow!

What made you want to get involved?

I was feeling established and confident in my career, but something else felt lacking. I started talking with friends and colleagues, asking how they give back to their communities. I learned about Ripple through a friend, who knew of my love for books, and she connected me with Ivy.

From the first time we met, I knew I wanted to be a part of this team. Ivy is so selfless and dedicated–her energy was infectious and I never want to say no to her! She had so many ideas and loved talking about them. I found myself drawn into her vision and wanted to help and really began to love bouncing ideas around with her. My time feels like a small thing to give, but seeing the success we’ve had over the years is more gratifying than I could have imagined.

What was the situation like when you started?

When I started working with Ripple Foundation, the Kids Write 4 Kids contest was the only program offered, and the number of entries has doubled over the years. It was early days, and our roster of volunteers was small. Since then, our numbers have grown to include adult and student volunteers. Ivy realized creative writing workshops could benefit some Kids Write 4 Kids participants. So with the help of an Ontario-certified teacher, we launched the Write It Workshops, which began as a series of three and has expanded to five over the years. When we launched the Wave Blog, it was just Ivy and me. We were publishing two blog posts a month, and since COVID, we’ve been publishing weekly. To date, we’ve published over 220 blog posts! Our editorial team has also grown to include two copy editors and one editorial assistant. And this year, we hosted our second virtual Express Inspire Connect youth conference.

How has it changed since?

As mentioned above, we’ve grown in size and offerings. However, the world is different today than eight years ago when I started. We are always learning new ways to reach different communities and how to communicate with them. We are looking at the mediums kids today use in expressing creativity, whether it’s pencil on paper or online. We want to evolve and remain a relevant and supportive source for students, families, and teachers across Canada.

What more needs to be done?

Obviously, we would love to reach even more kids across Canada, offer more workshops, and continue to develop new programs. We are proud to continue inspiring and empowering the next generation of writers and creators, and we invite you to join us in this mission.

How can our readers help?

First, we would love for readers to check out our website and social media accounts and see the various programs and opportunities we offer! Share this information with your kids and friends and their kids and friends. Know a teacher? Let them know about the Kids Write 4 Kids contest and the Wave Blog. Check out our merch and buy one of the winning Kids Write 4 Kids contest titles! Volunteer your time with us! And if you can, donations to Ripple Foundation are always appreciated.

Do you have any events coming up?

The virtual Write It Workshops are held every Saturday for grades 4-8 and are a fantastic opportunity for kids to learn and grow as writers. The schedule for these workshops can be found on the Ripple Foundation website. Additionally, the 2024 Kids Write for Kids contest launching on October 1, 2023, is an excellent way for young writers to showcase their creativity and become published authors.

We also participate in other charity organizations’ events by hosting in-person workshops and exhibit booths to promote our programs. Our recent participation at The Word On The Street festival in May–which had over 400 people dropping by to share their favourite books–is a testament to Ripple Foundation’s impact on the community. Interested individuals can sign up for Ripple Foundation’s e-newsletter to stay updated on upcoming events and programs.

Where can we follow you?

Readers can find out more about our programs on our website. They can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to stay updated.

PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?

● Canada-Ukraine Foundation

● Daily Bread Food Bank

The post Charitable Choices: Tamara Capar of Ripple Foundation appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Describe your charity/non-profit in a few sentences.

Ripple Foundation is a 100% volunteer-led Toronto education charity that cultivates reading and writing in youth across Canada. Ripple delivers free community programs to children designed to harvest creativity, inspire a deeper literary understanding and make confident leaders of tomorrow!

Programs include the annual Kids Write 4 Kids (KW4K) contest, a Write It Workshop program and the Wave Blog that young writers can use as a platform for youth to write about current teen topics, opinions and experiences.

What problem does it aim to solve?

Our programs go beyond the realm of what children learn in the four walls of a classroom.

Ripple Foundation’s three core pillars are creativity, education and leadership. We want to dare our next generation of creative thinkers to have an imagination, inspire confidence and educate children on the power of knowledge and how this can be used in later life. It mixes education with the power of artistic flair in a way that the education system doesn’t, and we aim to give voices to budding Canadian authors across the country as a result.

When did you start/join it?

I started the original – and what has now become an annual – KW4K contest back in 2012. It’s a one-of-a-kind short story contest for students in grades 4-8, and the winner becomes a published writer before high school!

The contest had an incredibly positive reception and we saw so many young authors grow in confidence during the most crucial years of their development because of the program. To expand on this and reach even more youth, we went on to launch the Wave Blog in 2016. This platform is dedicated to amplifying the voices of young Canadians (grades 8-12) and is the next step in the writing journey following the contest. Writers can also earn up to 5 volunteer hours through writing the blogs – bonus!

Finally, in 2018 when Ripple Foundation became a registered charity, we launched the third program, Write It Workshops, designed to teach children (grades 4-8) about the components that make for engaging story-telling and writing. The workshops are led solely by volunteers, and we encourage high school students to assist in the delivery of these masterclasses, too.

What made you want to get involved?

I own my own creative companies, and really wanted to give back to communities by using my knowledge and skills for the greater good. Therefore, I want to inspire young children to find their own voices as a writer, inspire leadership and confidence beyond what’s taught in school across Canada. I chose a writing contest as the first initiative because I wanted it to be accessible to all and not exclude those who are unable to express themselves visually or musically.

I think it’s so important to keep the artistic form (and ability) of story writing alive, which is what the three programs set out to do for children in different age groups. The programs are entirely free and we rely on our amazing volunteers and donations to be able to continue nurturing young minds.

What was the situation like when you started?

Before I started the writing contest and what later became Ripple Foundation, there were no other writing contests out there where the winner became a published author. KW4K is the only one of its kind that does this, and the proceeds from the book sales are donated to the winner’s charity of choice. So, the winner does not receive any physical prize or dollar amount, fostering a sense of philanthropy in the next generation, too!

Winners also get to be part of the judging panel for the following year’s contest. Our judging panel is curated and unique every year to include accomplished authors, editors, professionals within the publishing industry and avid readers from other professions.

To date, we have received entries from over 650 schools, 10 provinces and two territories.

How has it changed since?

Since 2012, 15 books have been published by child authors, we have hosted more than 100 workshops since 2018 and gone live with 84 Wave Blogs (with many more up our sleeve about how our youth are coping with COVID-19).

We connect with children across Canada at a young age and have been lucky to see their writing evolve as we have added to and adapted the Foundation’s offering.

And, we continue to adapt as we face the knock-on effects of the pandemic. Due to the closure of public libraries, our in-person Write It Workshops are temporarily canceled, but we have instead adapted the workshops so we are able to deliver them virtually.

This is a really exciting step for us. In the last month, we have hosted three free, fun and interactive Facebook Live masterclasses that teach the principles of story-writing, from brainstorming through to plot and character development. And, following a hugely positive reception to these we are extending the online program to run every Saturday between May 23rd – August 29th using Zoom to deliver the lesson plan.

What more needs to be done?

We are so proud of everything Ripple Foundation has achieved to date, but we are always planning our next move to reach more and more youth across Canada.

First and foremost, when we are out the other side of COVID-19, we want to partner with even more public libraries across the country to increase the number of workshops children can attend.

We also want to drive awareness of our KW4K contest so that more children know about the opportunity and have a chance of becoming a published author! As a bonus, we’d like to amplify the sales of these books so that even more donations can be made to the winners’ charity of choice.

During this period of uncertainty, we want teens to turn to the peer-to-peer Wave Blog to gain insight and views on relevant topics including living life through a pandemic. This is a safe space through which readers can get real and honest advice – so we want to spread the word so that even more people use it.

How can our readers help?

As a 100% volunteer-led and donations-operated charity, we are always on the lookout for new volunteer recruits who believe in our mission and want to give back to their communities to nurture the next generation.

If you are passionate about promoting and teaching literacy and creativity, we would love to hear from you. We promise flexibility and convenience, and with the series of virtual workshops coming up there’s plenty of opportunities to get involved!

We are also open to donations, no matter how little or large. Every cent counts and is a direct investment in the next generation. Readers can make a donation here.

Do you have any events coming up?

Right now we are focusing on our virtual Write It Workshops to ensure we can keep giving children across the country fun and creative ways to continue their writing journeys while at home. These will be taking place on Zoom every Saturday kicking off on May 23rd and running right through to August 29th. Parents can register their kids online here.

While it’s still being decided exactly how it will be rolled out, we’re also really looking forward to running a Write It Workshop as part of The Word on the Street Toronto Festival 2020, a national celebration of literacy and Canadian writing, this September.

In previous years we’ve had some of our writing contest winners do readings at the celebration, which festival-goers have really enjoyed, so we are hoping to replicate that this year!

Where can we follow you?

Website

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube: @kidswrite4kids

PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?

I’m a huge supporter of Doctors Without Borders Canada. The charity’s medical teams operate all around the world providing emergency medical relief to those in need in conflict zones and areas that need it most.

Its teams are courageous and even in light of the pandemic, they continue to stride on risking their own lives to save others. Simply inspiring.

The post Charitable Choices: Inspiring Young Writers with Ripple Foundation appeared first on Toronto Guardian.