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SAY developed its ground-breaking Confident Voices curriculum to help young people who stutter cultivate the lasting friendships, supportive community and confidence they need to be themselves and follow their dreams. These innovative, 7-8 week programs empower, embolden and inspire children and teens who stutter by providing an unfettered creative outlet and the opportunity to work together to share what’s in their hearts and on their minds.
Confident Voices offers three programming sessions during the school year:
• The Songwriting Project: Supervised by legendary musician and SAY Music Director, Everett Bradley. Starts September 27, 2019.
• The Short Play Project: Kids write and perform in their own original plays. Starts December 13, 2019.
• The Mentor Project: Small groups are joined by adult mentors who also stutter to craft performance pieces in any format they choose. Starts April 17, 2020.
Each project ends with a vibrant performance in a safe and appreciative public space where participants can truly express themselves, some for the very first time. In 2017, SAY was awarded the National Art and Humanities Youth Program Award(NAHYPA) for our Confident Voices Program. The award was bestowed through a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in cooperation with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). It recognizes the country’s best creative youth development programs utilizing the arts and humanities to increase academic achievement, High School graduation rates, and college enrollments. Confident Voices is an exceptional, collaborative and transformative experience, and is absolutely FREE for all who register. For more information or to enroll a child who stutters, please visit SAY.org.
Over 70 million people stutter worldwide, including 5% of all children. Young people who stutter can often face unimaginable cruelty from a world that doesn't understand them. Over time, they can withdraw from peers, teachers, society and even family, leaving them feeling isolated and alone. Children and teens who stutter often face daily ridicule, teasing and bullying, and resort to silence to hide their stutter. At SAY, we believe that every voice matters, and deserves to be heard.
The Stuttering Association for the Young is a national 501©(3) non-profit organization that provides support, advocacy and life-changing experiences for young people who stutter, ages 8-18. Since 2001, SAY has offered comprehensive and innovative programs that address the physical, social, and emotional impacts of stuttering. Through summer camp, regional day camps, speech therapy, and creative arts programming, SAY builds a community of acceptance, friendship, and encouragement where young people who stutter can develop the confidence and communication skills they need to thrive. This year alone, SAY will award over $1,500, 000 in financial aid to families in need. To date, no child has ever been turned away due to a family’s inability to pay.
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kristina[.]say.org 
