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Jason L. Yurcic - Poet
Yurcic conducts writing workshops in prisons, juvenile detention centers, and schools for at risk youth. Here's what educators say about Jason Yurcic's workshops: "Jason Yurcic has been the
Visiting Artist for the past two years in the Literacy Lab program at Chrysalis
Alternative School, an arts-oriented alternative public high school for students
in 8th-12th grades located in Taos, New Mexico. Jason's writing workshops were
so successful and popular the first year that he was invited to be the Featured
Speaker at the 2008 Chrysalis Commencement. He was invited to return for an
unprecedented second year, and became so beloved by students and staff that for
his third year he will be invited to return on a monthly basis through special
funding through the Taos Municipal School System. Jason has been able to connect
with the students with an inspiring and impassioned consistency that has
students who were initially resistant to writing coming back for more and more.
If you have read Jason's writing you know he is an astonishingly accomplished
poet, short story writer, novelist and playwright, but Jason is also that rare
combination of talented writer and gifted teacher. The staff and students at
Chrysalis could not be more grateful to him."
Coordinator, Literacy Labs at Chrysalis Alternative School |
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"I have worked in education for the last 17
years; most of that time has been spent working with at-risk youth. I have
witnessed some amazing personal transformations from students when they are
appropriately supported, encouraged, and challenged. I met Jason Yurcic when he
came into my classroom as a volunteer when I was teaching in the maximum
security unit for juvenile offenders. Mr. Yurcic has the right balance of
knowledge, belief, and caring to help make a difference in peoples lives. I have
personally witnessed emotional change and growth from students that Mr. Yurcic
has worked with. I highly recommend his books and his teaching methods to
anyone who is working with at-risk youth or adults." Ron Romero MA Special Education with an emphasis on Behavioral Disorders NM License in School Administration |
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"Jason Yurcic has been a guest speaker
in my developmental reading classes. Teachers live for
their students' epiphanies, and Jason has a gift for facilitating paradigm
changes. He establishes common ground, relates to the
disenchanted, and inspires creativity in those trying to find their own gifts.
My students cannot get enough of what he has to say and they listen intently to
the truths he shares. Jason is in high demand as a speaker and facilitator, but
he has an open invitation to work with my students, no matter the course
content, whenever he is available. I know they will come away encouraged and
emboldened. I have also had the privilege of seeing Jason conduct weekly workshops with juvenile delinquents and teen mothers. Jason is respectful and refreshingly honest, and the participants respond in kind. There is urgency in his work, so productivity runs high as he elicits written and oral responses from participants that surprise even themselves. Jason Yurcic has no magic formulas or to-do lists; instead, he grabs you by the heart and sets you on the journey to soul authenticity." Diana Santiago Faculty, Central NM Community College |