As the Teens-Helping-Kids club (THinK), a student-run volunteer organization, begins to prepare for the upcoming summer, the volunteers from Jefferson are once again hoping to foster creative writing skills in younger students.

“We are planning on recruiting more students to participate in the club over the summer,” sophomore Grace Huang, an instructor of the program, said. “We teach the students creative writing techniques, such as imagery and simile.”

THinK is a volunteer program run by former and current Jefferson students who act as instructors during online creative writing sessions. Last summer, the club held a summer creative writing workshop for rising fourth to eighth grade students, in which the students and instructors communicated through a virtual online medium.

“We ask the students download an online meeting software called GoToMeeting, so they can listen while we teach,” Huang said. “All of the students get online at a designated time.”

The registered students learn about the essential tools for crafting a fluid and comprehensive story, such as forming correct sentence structures and adding appropriate transitions. The students are also assigned to complete a writing prompt for every session, which are critiqued by the instructors.

“The sessions are usually held only over the summer, but sometimes we offer sessions throughout the year as well,” Huang said.

Furthermore, all of the tuition fees collected from the registered students are donated to the AiXin Foundation, an organization that aids impoverished students at China by providing them with an adequate education.

“The best part about being an instructor is getting to see the kids and their improvements,” Huang said. “The students are always excited to learn.”