Write a Letter to Step Up Teens
Write a letter to Step Up teens to encourage them as they build confidence, find community, and define and achieve their definitions of success!
Learn how below.
Step Up invites you to write supportive, motivational messages to high school teens in local communities who are navigating the next steps in their journeys to success!
Teen programming currently takes place in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York.
Suggested topics for your letter:
- Insights: careers, industries, companies
- Recommendations: books, podcasts, online resources
- Tips: studying, networking, self-care
- Congratulations: start/end of the school year, graduation
Before you begin, review our words matter guide to ensure your message is focused on asset-based language that is encouraging and inspiring!
Got writer's block? Check out this list of inspirational quotes for graduates from The Oprah Magazine. Below is a suggested – not required – template to follow:
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Hi Step Up teens!
My name is [YOUR NAME], and I am a Step Up mentor. I wanted to share some [tips, resources, guidance, etc.].
First, let me tell you a little about myself. I am from [CITY] and currently [YOUR ROLE & WHERE YOU WORK]. I got to where I am today by [STEPS YOU TOOK TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW].
Step Up told me you are working hard in your Step Up program in [CITY], and I wanted to share [RELEVANT GUIDANCE OR RESOURCES]. If you would like to connect, my LinkedIn is [LINKEDIN HANDLE].
Best wishes,
[YOUR NAME]
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Next Steps
- Reach out to us at mentor@suwn.org to express your interest and to let us know how many letters you would like to write!
- Once you have let us know how many letters you'd like to write and chosen what city or cities you'd like to send to, print out your choice of Step Up letterhead to write your message(s).
- Mail your completed letter(s) to Step Up at the following address, and we will take it from there!
Step Up
510 S Hewitt St, #111
Los Angeles, CA 90013
This opportunity is currently a one-time correspondence with each Step Up on Campus cohort of teens in a city of your choosing. We also kindly ask that you only include letters in your envelope, without any additional items.