Inspiration
826 National’s chapters offer a variety of inventive programs that provide under-resourced students ages 6-18 with opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills. They also aim to help teachers get their classes excited about writing. There are branches in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Boston, New York, and Washington DC. We wanted to create a tool that 826 National could use in encouraging students to create their own stories and share them with the world.
What it does
We have created a web application that guides students through the process of creative writing through two main story modes: Free Write and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, both based on fun themes aimed at kids aged 8-12. The former allows students to simply write whatever they feel, while the latter creates a series of prompt cards that guides the student as they write their work of art. Students can then read other students' published writings, or go back to their own profile and revisit their own work.
How we built it
We built this web application using Google App Engine Launcher, utilizing a Jinja environment with a back-end in Python. We also are using DataStore for storage of profile and story information.
What's next for Valencia Voyage
We intend to work closely with 826 National to continue to build a product customized to their personal mission. We also want to flesh out more of the badge/award features as well as add fun story contests to keep students engaged in our website. We also have a personal design goal to replace our icons and images with the work of real students helped by 826 National.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.