Imagine it's the first day of summer vacation and something magical happens.

"I'm going to a theater and it's haunted," Felicity Simpson said.

“You're forced back into school as though summer break never happened," Marium Abdullah said.

"A crocodile ends up chasing me. There ain't no way that thing climbing trees... I hope," Christian Davenport-Perkins Jr. said.

This is a workshop at 826NYC, a creative writing nonprofit organization in Park Slope.

Christian Rongavilla is helping middle schoolers there flesh out their ideas.

"I think the brainstorming part is super important,” Rongavilla said. “It's where all of your first ideas and inkling of something more to kind of get your creative juices going."

Rongavilla's story with 826NYC started in San Francisco, where he volunteered and interned with the organization's sister chapter years ago. When he lost his creative marketing job during the pandemic, he turned to volunteering to fill his time.

"I just love that they create a space for kids to really explore their creativity, to really learn about storytelling,” Rongavilla said. "And it's not for grade. It's not for school. It's for fun."

He lives in New York City now, in Chinatown. And he’s been helping out at least once a week.

Rongavilla leads small discussions and challenges the kids to think bigger in their narratives.

"I don't mean to be mean, but he's kind of one of my favorites," Abdullah said. "When I think I'm done, I end up writing a ton more because of how much Christian encouraged me to."  

The experience has re-ignited a spark for Rongavilla. He is now writing his own piece about his family's history and freelancing as a teaching artist in schools.

"I think it's always important to have a safe space to, like, really express their emotions, to be able to be fully themselves," he said.

For helping kids find their creative voices, Christian Rongavilla is our New Yorker of the Week.