You have something to say. This workshop will help you say it in a way that moves people.

What Is This?
Change the Narrative is an 8-week online writing workshop for high schoolers who want to learn one of the most powerful and practical skills there is: how to write with purpose, clarity, and impact.

This isn’t a school essay workshop. It’s training in advocacy writing — the kind of writing that appears in media outlets, on Substack, in political campaigns, in nonprofits, and in every professional field where ideas matter and persuasion counts.

By the end of the summer, you’ll have a real, polished piece of writing you can publish, pitch to a newspaper or magazine, or submit with a college application.

Who Is This For?
High schoolers who care about something — an issue, a cause, a problem, an idea — and want real tools to write about it compellingly.  You don’t need to be an “excellent writer.”  You just need to have a point of view and be willing to develop it.

What You’ll Walk Away With
• A finished, publishable piece of advocacy writing — an op-ed, Substack essay, or pitch-ready article.
• The ability to identify your audience and write directly to them
• A clear understanding of how to structure an argument.
• Tools for editing your own work with confidence.
• Knowledge of how to pitch and publish your writing in the real world.

Sample Curriculum: 

Session 1: What Is Advocacy Writing?
What makes it different from school essays — and why it’s one of the most useful skills you can have.

Session 2: Your Issue, Your Angle, Your Reader
Narrowing from a broad topic to a specific, compelling argument. 

Session 3: Structure and the Art of the Argument
How a well-made argument is actually built — the lede, the pivot, the evidence, the ask.
Reading like a writer.

Session 4: Evidence and Storytelling
When to use data, when to use personal narrative, and how to braid them together so your argument lands emotionally and intellectually.

Session 5: Framing and Audience
How the same fact can feel completely different depending on language. Writing to skeptics vs. allies. Values-based messaging.

Session 6: Editing for Clarity and Punch
Cutting without losing your voice. The “so what?” test. How to write a headline that makes someone stop scrolling.

Session 7: Publishing and Pitching
Where does your piece live? How to write a pitch email. What editors actually want. How to publish independently on Substack.

Session 8: Final Workshop and Celebration
Share your finished piece. Get real feedback. Leave with a plan for what happens next.

Details
Format: Weekly online sessions, 90 minutes each
Duration: 8 sessions over 8 weeks
Cohort size: Small — maximum 10 students
Price: $375 (inaugural cohort rate — future cohorts will be higher)
When: Summer 2025 — exact dates and times set based on cohort availability

Ready to Join?
This is the first cohort of Change the Narrative, and spots are limited. Fill out the short interest form below and I’ll be in touch to confirm scheduling and next steps.

No payment required yet — just tell us a little about yourself/your student and what works for your summer.