Teens Write: Vision Boarding @ Your Library Workshops
RSSDiane P. Tuccillo, Teen Services Librarian, Poudre River Public Library District, Fort Collins, CO
In our community, as well as in many others, teens like to write, and our library's writing programs always attract a good turnout. Many teens sign up for National Novel Writing Month activities, and there's always a full roster of poets for our annual poetry slam. However, one thing we hear from teens is that they sometimes have a hard time figuring out what to write about. Enter vision boarding. Vision boarding is one of the many workshops offered by local educator Janice Lynn of Creating LLC that involve writing and other creative pursuits such as making and decorating personalized writing journals and developing storyboards. Vision boarding encourages kids to make collages that serve as springboards for their ideas. During the workshop, teens cut out words, sayings, and pictures from magazines and glue them to posters or foam boards, and the words and images trigger emotions that inspire kids to write. For example, a picture of a girl on a bike might be the start of a tale about a cross-country journey or an image of a starry night could inspire an interplanetary science-fiction story. Vision boards can contain a potpourri of images or focus on a particular theme. Once teens have created their boards, creativity is the name of the game, and kids are encouraged to let their imaginations flow. After writing their stories, teens get together in pairs and share them with their partners. After that, participants have the option of sharing their vision boards and stories with the entire group. We never criticize any of the presentations, and we clap after each teen has finished reading, which encourages others to share. Then it's time for our teens to take their creations home and display them there. We encourage kids to continue to add new photos and words to their vision boards, including items such as ticket stubs, candy wrappers, and newspaper headlines. We've done vision-boarding workshops twice during the last year, and the sessions have become increasingly popular. The first time we offered a workshop, in the fall, 16 teens attended. But our latest workshop, last spring, attracted 33 students. (The smaller group seemed to foster more sharing than the larger one.) Try vision boarding with your teens. It's a great way to encourage writing and other forms of creativity.
