Community Activities

Discover how communities and schools in the United States and Canada are using This I Believe activities.

Concord, New Hampshire
At NHTI–Concord’s Community College, the campus literary journal, The Eye, published a special section devoted to This I Believe essays. The student editors held a contest and selected four essays to feature, stating that the purpose of the journal and of writing itself is “to illustrate the importance of moments: moments of conception, moments of inspiration, moments of understanding.” The addition of the “This I Believe” section fosters such goals.

Mérida, México
Habla, an international education center in the Yucatan, recently held a This I Believe writing workshop to help teach literacy and language. Workshop leader Len Newman and Habla director Kurt Wootton said the project was an inspiring way for students to learn English. One of the participants said about the event, “If you can touch the heart of your students, you can flip a switch in the brain and have the greatest results teaching a language.” Click here for pictures.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Allegheny County Library Association has selected This I Believe as its choice for their 2012 One Book, One Community read. Community Partnerships Coordinator Charity Leonette said the group wanted something special for the 10th anniversary of this project and that “this type of community dialogue and experience is the essence of One Book.” The 73 libraries around Pittsburgh are inviting everyone in the region to read, discuss, write, and share their beliefs.

DeKalb, Illinois
At Northern Illinois University, many students are writing This I Believe essays as part of the school’s Common Reading Experience. In a developmental writing class, instructor Nicole Boudreau Smith engaged her class in activities to help them develop content for their essays, including a peer-review essay technique she calls a “speed dating” exercise. Click here to learn more about Ms. Boudreau Smith’s process, and click here to read essays by NIU students.

Orange City, Iowa
Writing students at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, have been reading and listening to This I Believe essays this semester in preparation for writing their own essays. Professor Kim Van Es also asked these international students to accompany her in presenting a writing workshop at the college’s Day of Learning in Community. Click here to see pictures of these enterprising students.

Statesville, North Carolina
For the third year in a row, February is This I Believe month in Statesville, a town of about 25,000 people in west-central North Carolina. The city’s Chamber of Commerce is encouraging every citizen to write and submit a This I Believe essay, and the local newspaper, the Statesville Record & Landmark, is publishing one statement of belief every day in February. Click here to read the beliefs of the people of Statesville.

Chicago, Illinois
At the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Professor Linda Ginzel is challenging her MBA students to write their personal credos for her leadership course. Ginzel says the This I Believe essay asks students to articulate how experiences shape our worldviews. “Leadership requires careful exploration into one’s values and goals,” Ginzel says about the project, “as well as the ability to communicate their importance to others.” Click here to learn more.

Waikoloa Region, Hawai’i
The Friends of the Library–Waikoloa Region is leading a community-building exercise by asking everyone in the region to write This I Believe essays. The project invites those who live on the Island of Hawai’i to learn about each other and to create local pride in the diversity and commonality expressed. These volunteers from the organization have been reading This I Believe books from their bookmobile for inspiration.

Lacey, Washington
First-Year Seminar students at Saint Martin’s University have been reading and writing This I Believe essays to explore their values and beliefs. They also interviewed residents of a local retirement community to learn about their beliefs and to be mentored by their elders. The students then wrote about their own beliefs and about the person they interviewed. Visit the school’s “This We Believe” Facebook page to watch their video essays.

Oshkosh, Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year, and their alumni relations office is inviting the entire college community to write This I Believe essays. Campus radio station WRST will record and broadcast statements by alumni, students, faculty, and staff who are sharing stories of their personal beliefs and core values. Click here and here to learn more.

Danville, Kentucky
Liberal arts school Centre College recently established a campus chapter of This I Believe with the goal of building a public dialogue among students, faculty, and staff. Student organizer Nachelle Mangeot says “College is a perfect time for writing an essay—it’s during college that we get asked the question, ‘What are you going to do with your life?’ In order to answer this question, we must have a deeper understanding of what defines us.” Click here to read more.

Saxtons River, Vermont
After assigning This I Believe II for summer reading at secondary school Vermont Academy, every student and faculty member wrote his or her own essay, and several were selected to read their essays aloud at an all-school assembly this fall. Head of School Sean Brennan says the exercise proved that “when people care about what they write, the quality of their writing is far better.” Click here to watch the school assembly.

Dayton, Ohio
More than 2,000 incoming University of Dayton students have read This I Believe as part of their First-Year Read and New Student Orientation programs. Students are also writing their own statements of belief. Cari Wallace, director of new student programs, says, “The collection of work around beliefs and values is very relevant. Asking students to reflect on their beliefs… provides a safe platform for students to begin to form and articulate their own beliefs.”

New York, New York
A young adult ministry group called Junction NYC engaged its members, aged 18-25, in a month-long exploration of belief through reading and writing This I Believe essays. Some members wrote and shared essays with the group, some produced videos of their belief statements, and others decorated a piece of a This I Believe mural to reflect their beliefs. Click here to see a slide show of the group’s culminating event and art mural.

Tallahassee, Florida
Local nonprofit The Village Square gave itself the daunting job of improving the civility of political dialogue in their community. Since their philosophy is to encourage neighbors of different political persuasions to get to know each other, asking people to write “This I Believe” essays was a natural fit. Their initiative, “This Tallahassee Believes,” fosters understanding that transcends political labels. Click here to learn more about their essay project.

Medford and Marlton, New Jersey
Students at the Shawnee and Cherokee High Schools in the Lenape Regional High School District of New Jersey have integrated their common reading book, This I Believe, into many different learning activities. Click here to view the Cherokee media center website, where students are posting their own essays. Click here to see how students at Shawnee have interpreted their reading of the book. And click here to read an essay by the school superintendent.

Shepherdstown, West Virginia
The Shepherd University common reading book selection for 2011-2012 is This I Believe, and the campus is celebrating themes from the book in imaginative ways. For example, the school’s Scarborough Library held a breakfast concert inspired by one of the essays in the book: “Jazz Is the Sound of God Laughing.” The joint program invites members of the Shepherd University campus as well as the Shepherdstown community to write their own This I Believe essays.

Atherton, California
At the college preparatory Menlo School, students in grades 9 through 12 – as well as faculty and many parents – read the book This I Believe for their common read as a prompt to members of the school community to examine their own beliefs. This fall, the entire Upper School delved into conversation about personal beliefs in an assembly, where several students and faculty read their own This I Believe essays. Click here to see pictures of the event.

Ruston, Louisiana
At Louisiana Tech University, more than 300 incoming freshmen have been reading This I Believe II as the school’s First Year Common Read. Assignments and activities related to the book will continue to be part of class meetings throughout the quarter, including students writing their own This I Believe essays and a visit from the book’s co-editor, Dan Gediman. Click here to learn more about other campuses using This I Believe for their common reading programs.

Fort Collins, Colorado
Students in the President’s Leadership Program at Colorado State University are learning about leadership styles in order to become engaged and active citizens in their communities. Students have written This I Believe essays as part of their leadership studies, and they have created a video compilation of statements from all sections of the program from 2010 and 2011. Click here to view the video, which was shown at their closing banquet this spring.

Gilford, New Hampshire
During “You Are Here” camp, part of the summer reading program at the Gilford Public Library, teenagers undertook a variety of creative exercises to inspire their writing. Camp instructor Lani Voivod gave the attendees a “This I Believe” essay assignment to help them hone their skills in making an emotional connection through storytelling. At the end of camp, the group shared their original works at an open mic for teens. Click here to learn more.

Mankato, Minnesota
The Learning Communities Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato, provides an opportunity for incoming first-year students to join a community that supports their academic success and transition to college life. This I Believe executive director Dan Gediman will appear at the school this week to kick off the campus exploration of what students and faculty believe and why, as individuals and as a community. Click here to learn more about the project.

Plymouth, New Hampshire
Attendees at the Holderness School are encouraged to be “intellectually passionate and always curious; to be public-spirited and always attentive to the needs of others… and to be aware, finally, of the spiritual dimensions of human experience.” This spring, students in the English Language and Compositions course at the school were asked to write This I Believe essays. Click here to listen to some of their audio declarations.

Chicago, Illinois
Based on the first year common reading of This I Believe, students, faculty, and staff of the EVOKE program at Loyola University in Chicago are writing This I Believe essays to discuss shared values, beliefs, and motivations. The goal of the program is to shed light on those core elements that define us as people. Click here and here to learn more about the beliefs of the Loyola community.

Cairo, Egypt
In partnership with This I Believe, the U.S. Embassy cultural affairs section in Cairo has announced a This I Believe essay-writing project for the Egyptian people. Selected essayists will be invited to present their statements at events in early August in Cairo, including one reading at the Maadi Public Library just for teen-aged writers. Learn more about the Arabic This I Believe project on the Embassy’s Facebook page.

Medford and Marlton, New Jersey
Two high schools in the Lenape Regional High School District in central New Jersey have chosen This I Believe for their One Book One School Choice for 2011-2012. Nearly 4,000 students and faculty will be reading the book, which will be used as a medium to promote interdisciplinary learning and activities. Click here to watch Shawnee and Cherokee’s video of the One Book, One School Book Chat.

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Bucknell University has selected This I Believe as the first-year common reading for the Class of 2015. Over the summer, students will read the book and begin to reflect on the fundamental values that guide their lives. Then, starting with New Student Orientation and continuing through the fall semester, the incoming freshmen will explore what they believe and why, as individuals and as a community. Click here to learn more about Bucknell’s first-year common reading.

Tallahassee, Florida
At the Center for Intensive English Studies at Florida State University, a This I Believe project is helping ESL students develop their language skills by having them share life experiences that have shaped their beliefs. Assistant Director Ramin Yazdanpanah says, “This I Believe essays are an invaluable resource to our students for reading development and cultural awareness.” Click here and here to read essays by students from around the globe.

Jefferson City, Missouri
Students at the Simonsen Ninth Grade Center found their voices through a This I Believe essay project this spring. After writing their personal narratives, students made audio and video recordings of their essays. English teacher Emily Vallandingham says the project gave her students the opportunity to explore their values and beliefs, and provided them a venue for telling their stories. Click here to watch a video about their classroom project.

Palm Desert, California
English students at the College of the Desert in California took part in the school’s Forum Series by reading their This I Believe essays in front of school faculty, students, and staff. Kathlyn Enciso, Associate Professor of English, Communication, has been assigning the This I Believe essay at the community college since 2006. She says her students’ work ranges from “intensely personal to profoundly revelatory.”

Medford, Massachusetts
At Tufts University in suburban Boston, the theme of this year’s annual student film competition is “This We Believe,” in conjunction with the school’s common reading selection, This I Believe. All eight entries were screened at a special campus event, and the top three videos were awarded cash prizes. Click here to view the entry by first place-winners Andrew Ineson and Usamah Suhrawardy. Or click here to view all the entries.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
For more than a year, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem have been writing and sharing This I Believe essays as part of their fellowship. Click here to read the This I Believe presentations given by UUFWS members, which illustrate the breadth and diversity of opinions held within this congregation – from “Dr. Seuss’s Horton the Elephant as Role Model” to “The Unity of Existence.”

Farmville, Virginia
Students at Longwood University are attempting to break a record for the world’s largest papier-mâché sculpture. The 10-foot ball was inspired by Resident Assistant staff who wanted to bring the school community together. Included in the sculpture are some of the many This I Believe statements students wrote this year after their common reading of This I Believe II. Click here to read the full article in the student newspaper. Or Click here to see more photos.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes
Since 2008, This I Believe has partnered with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI) to provide lifelong learners with a six-week course on writing and sharing This I Believe essays. Rosemary Deitzer, an OLLI member at the University of Cincinnati said, “In this week’s class, tears were abundantly plentiful — that’s how much this program has touched our members.” Click here to find an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute near you.

Blacksburg, Virginia
Virginia Tech selected This I Believe II for the university’s 2011-2012 Common Book Project, which gives new and transfer undergraduate students a common academic experience during their first year at the school. Daniel Wubah, vice president and dean for undergraduate education, says they selected the book because of “its relevance to the transitional process from high school to college.” Click here to learn more about Virginia Tech’s Common Book Project.

Minnesota
The InterCorps Council of Minnesota chose “This We Believe” as the theme of its AmeriCorps Week 2010 event. The ICC asked its members to write and share This I Believe essays about the values and beliefs of those who serve to make their communities stronger. Click here to view a video created by AmeriCorps Minnesota members. Or click here to read the beliefs of Minnesotans who work to make a positive impact on their communities.

Jacksonville, Florida
Last semester, Advanced Broadcasting students at Jacksonville University were assigned a video version of the This I Believe essay. Dr. Annmarie Kent-Willette says the assignment provided a link between a discussion of objective narrative journalism and an introspective focus. The Florida Associated Press Broadcasters Awards selected one of the school’s works as the best student video essay in the state. Click here to view This I Believe videos produced at Jacksonville University.

Atlanta, Georgia
During the spring 2011 semester, the Georgia Institute of Technology started its own This I Believe series for students, faculty, and staff in conjunction with the new informal discussion program called Open Forum. Selected essayists will be invited to present their essays at a This We Believe event night at their student center. To learn more, visit the This We Believe at Georgia Tech web site.

Longmont, Colorado
These students at Skyline High School in Longmont, Colorado, are creating podcasts of their This I Believe essays. Other classes around the country are hosting essay readings, creating art, and producing videos. Now, we want to hear from you. Take a minute to join a new discussion thread on our Facebook page. If you are a teacher, how do you use This I Believe in the classroom? Click here to let us know.

Coquitlam, British Columbia
Through a classroom wiki, students at The Academy of Learning for Outstanding, Notable Students in suburban Vancouver are exploring a multimedia approach to This I Believe. These ninth and tenth graders present their statements of belief through art, YouTube videos, podcast recordings, and even a This I Believe musical jam session. Click here to see examples of their class work. Or click here and here to watch their This I Believe videos.

Providence, Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s public radio station, WRNI, has been broadcasting essays of its local citizens through This I Believe – Rhode Island since 2007. This year, WRNI collaborated with photographer Scott Indermaur’s REVEALED project to create a series of photographs featuring thirteen Rhode Islanders who shared their This I Believe essays. Click here to view a slideshow of the REVEALED project. Or click here to hear essays recorded by Rhode Islanders.

Greencastle, Indiana
The Putnam County Public Library in Greencastle, Indiana, partnered with DePauw University to kick off Putnam County READS: This I Believe. The library launched its project with a series of essay readings by community leaders, students, and representatives from local business, education, and artists. In addition, the library sponsored writing workshops and encouraged local citizens to write their own This I Believe essays. Margot Payne, Director of Community Relations, says the project represented “a variety of philosophies and beliefs designed to bring the community together in a spirit of deeper understanding, respect, and inclusiveness.” Learn more about Putnam County READS.

State College, Pennsylvania
For three years, public radio station WPSU has gathered and shared the beliefs of more than 120 central Pennsylvanians in its local version of This I Believe. The station at Penn State University has treated listeners to essays about everything from protecting human dignity to wiffle ball, and simple pleasures to heavy metal. Click here to listen to essays from WPSU’s This I Believe. Or click here to watch a video animation of one of their essays.

Springfield, Illinois
Public radio station WUIS has created a localized version of This I Believe to engage high school seniors in this essay-writing exercise. Selected students from central Illinois are recording their essays for broadcast. Chosen essays will also be published and posted on WUIS.org. Student essayists will also be eligible to receive a $100 scholarship from the Rotary Club of Springfield Sunrise. Click here to read essays from the project.

Dare County, North Carolina
The people of the Outer Banks in North Carolina have engaged in a community-wide This I Believe project, inviting everyone to read and write This I Believe essays. Partners include the Dare County Education Foundation, Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, Dare County libraries, and the Dare County Arts Council. In addition, every Dare County teacher received a copy of This I Believe II, and attended a half-day staff development program about This I Believe.

Learn more about This I Believe resources available to your school or community.