Fall 2007, Volume 11 Number 3

Table of Contents

Who could have imagined that writing a story or drawing a picture could help provide access to clean water, improved health, lowered risk of disease, and education for children who have never stepped foot in a classroom before?  And who could of thought that this creative movement was achieved entirely by children?

At each autograph signing, thirteen-year-old author Cate Hurley signs her book How to Cook with a Pencil with her signature quote:  “It only takes one person to make a difference.”  Cate published her story “Kioto-Kyoto” in YouthInkwell Publishing’s first anthology at the age of ten.  Established in 2005 in Pasadena, CA as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit company, YouthInkwell Publishing inspires young writers and illustrators to express their artistic abilities and to help the less fortunate.  YouthInkwell encourages its local youth to become more active within their communities—whether it's becoming more aware of current issues, volunteering their time, or expressing their concerns to public officials.  YouthInkwell’s chief service, however, is to publish the work of young artists into professional book format and to promote their work amongst their peers.  In addition to stirring up more potential writers, the sales of these books are helping other children in need.  Currently, YouthInkwell books fund "The Water Well Project" in which book profits aid the construction of water wells in East Africa to help put young girls in school and to promote community health and safety.  As of the end of 2007, the nonprofit will have published a total of 13 children's work, whether it is their stories, their illustrations, or both.

The YouthInkwell kids learn about other children in need and why they must help make a difference.  Throughout all hours of the day, girls as young as five years old can be seen walking along dirt roads of East Africa with tattered dresses and heavy jugs strapped to their backs, heading toward dangerous, remote locations.  Every day, these girls must put themselves at risk of sexual assault, abuse, and kidnapping during this trek.  Because of the women’s traditional familial values, the burden of collecting water falls upon the shoulders of the young girls.  Most girls are unable to obtain a primary level of education simply because of insufficient water supply available to their villages.  The locations the girls travel to can be regarded as highly unsanitary, the water unsuitable for human consumption.  The brooks are highly polluted due to inadequate sewage control amongst the land.  Yet the girls must use this water for laundering, cleaning, bathing, cooking, and of course—drinking—all things that most of us consider as standard essentials in life.  The people of these villages deal with some of the most alarming aspects of devastation including high levels of infant mortality from dehydration and diarrheal death, poor maternal health from weakened immune systems due to water-borne diseases, the spread of STDs and AIDS from assault, and extreme environmental hazards.  The use of contaminated water serves as a conduit for all of these harmful factors, affecting a village’s entire population.

In 2006 alone, YouthInkwell kids were able to raise over $15,000 in book sales from YouthInkwell’s previous released books When Watute Wants Some Water and How to Cook with a Pencil in which construction has begun on their first well—a borehole well located at the Kuno Kile School in Ethiopia.  These works created by a total of ten kids ages 9-17 will help build six water wells in Ethiopian and Ugandan villages.  Each well will be placed on school grounds not only for the sake of the female students, but also for the whole community to use.  Later this year, YouthInkwell will release two new books—Puppets, a children’s picture book written and illustrated by high school senior Shaina Lu, and The Painted Tea Set, a young adult book co-authored by thirteen-year-old Ashley Bae and twelve-year-old Victor Hsieh—which will also contribute to The Water Well Project’s efforts.

YouthInkwell Publishing intends to create leaders out of our youth in order to establish a better future.  By teaching children the hazards and concerns of today’s world, we are giving them the power to sculpt their presence in the world of tomorrow.  Simultaneously, YouthInkwell Publishing ensures that its kids are involved within their own communities as well.  In addition to its Board of Directors, YouthInkwell is also guided by a Youth Board of Advisors compiled of authors and students who forefront the company’s involvement within the community.  YouthInkwell doesn’t just help kids write well—it gives kids a reason to express themselves.  The Water Well Project is a running theme throughout all of YouthInkwell’s programs, reminding its volunteers, writers, and members why it is their responsibility to help, and that they can in fact make change now during their youth.

                LeAnne Bagnall is the Assistant Marketing Director for YouthInkwell Publishing. She can be reached via email at LBagnall@youthinkwell.org. Please visit www.youthinkwell.org to learn more. 

© Copyright 1999, Kids Can Make A Difference