How Youth Can Get Involved
with This I Believe

This I Believe encourages thoughtful and respectful sharing of philosophical, spiritual, or civic beliefs by inviting people from all walks of life to write brief essays that discuss the rules they live by. Thousands of young people around the country have embraced This I Believe as a powerful way to explore their beliefs.

Our project’s goal is to encourage people of different beliefs to listen to one another. We encourage you to come together with friends, neighbors, and acquaintances to discuss the essays you’ve written. You can get started by reading the essays written by other young people that have been submitted to This I Believe. Click here to access our Youth Essay Database.

How to Write a This I Believe Essay

To help you examine your own beliefs and then compose a personal essay about them, we invite you to click here to read our essay-writing tips. Remember, this is an essay about your personal beliefs-the things you have found to be the basic values in your life.

How to Submit a This I Believe Essay

If you are age 13 or older, our preference for accepting essay submissions is through our online submission form. Please note that your parent or guardian must read the agreement and click the button that says “I Agree With the Terms of Submission.”

On the next page, there is a form for you to submit your essay and fill in your name, address, and other contact information. We use this information for internal purposes only; we do not sell or give away personally identifying information to any third parties. To read our full Privacy Policy, click here.

We do accept essays through U.S. Mail as well; however, those essays will not be placed in our online essay database. To submit essays by mail, please send them to:

This I Believe, Inc.
2424 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206

Please note that if you are age 12 or younger, we ask that you submit your essay through U.S. Mail only along with a signed copy of our Minor Submission Agreement which can be downloaded here. (Requires Adobe Acrobat.) It is the policy of This I Believe to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which is aimed at strengthening protection for minors on the Internet.

Testimonials from Students

Click here to read testimonials from youth who have written and submitted essays.

Contact Us

Our staff is available to assist you with specific questions about writing and submitting a This I Believe essay.