Arts & Athletics and Hope at Hand Collaborate Using Poetry Therapy with Middle School Students

Founded in 2011, the Arts & Athletics Program at the FSU College of Social Work was established as a positive youth development initiative by then-Dean Dr. Nick Mazza through the support of generous FSU donors Guy and Delores Spearman.

The same year, Dr. Mazza, through the National Association for Poetry Therapy, trained Steffani Fletcher, the executive director of Hope at Hand, Inc. and FSU alumna (BS 1990), on poetry therapy. Hope at Hand, Inc. is a nonprofit in Jacksonville, Florida that uses poetry and other creative, art, and therapeutic approaches to facilitate healing and personal growth in children and adolescents.

This year, Dr. Mazza and Dr. Shalay Jackson, an associate teaching professor at the College of Social Work and the director of Arts & Athletics, facilitated a long-anticipated collaboration with Steffani and Hope at Hand.

‘It has been an absolute pleasure to see how Steffani has developed and advanced Hope at Hand, Inc. to make a profound impact on children and adolescents,” said Dr. Mazza, dean and professor emeritus at the College of Social Work. “Our programs are a natural partnership that contributes to our communities. Together, through poetry and art, we instill hope as our students engage in relationships that will serve them now and into the future.”

Hope at Hand developed an eight-week program to address the concepts covered by the Arts & Athletics Program, which included concepts including self-worth, resilience, courage, stress management, and effective communication. The Jacksonville organization compiled all the art and writing supplies for the program. Steffani traveled to Tallahassee to train the FSU social work students who served as Arts & Athletics mentors.  

For eight weeks during the Spring 2024 semester, College of Social Work students conducted 90-minute sessions with participating youths from Griffin Middle School aged 11 to 14 years old. Prior to diving into poetry, students presented their own workshops to introduce the participants to the topic of the week.

The FSU mentors introduced a variety of poems and poetry formats, allowing the youths to dig deep into figurative language and the concepts explored through the Arts & Athletics Program. Students wrote original poetry to reinforce connections between the discussion and poem shared each week. Participants would then take their poems and turn them into art.

“There is ample evidence that art and poetry are lifelong tools to reduce stress and anxiety,” shared Steffani. “The beauty of writing and poetry is that most people have access to paper and pencil.”

Through Hope at Hand’s poetry programming, participants are taught independent writing strategies, which encourage self-analysis and expression. “With our blend of wellness through poetry, our focus is truly on the process,” she explained.

"Our students effectively forged meaningful bonds with youth and facilitated interactive activities to reinforce positive youth development skills while incorporating Hope at Hands’ poetry programming,” said Dr. Jackson. "We are delighted with this new partnership and look forward to future collaboration.”