The Colorado Do the Write Thing Challenge program (www.coloradodtwt.org), an initiative of the Denver office of Gibson Dunn, began in 1999 as part of an effort to engage middle school students in a dialogue about the topic of youth violence prevention.  To take “the challenge,” student participants submit writings addressing each of the following three questions: How has youth violence affected my life?  What are the causes of youth violence? and What can I do about youth violence?  Since its inception, over 3,500 middle school students have participated in the Colorado DtWT Challenge.

The Colorado DtWT Challenge epitomizes lawyers and staff working together to make valuable contributions to the larger communities in which they live.  Recognizing the importance of youth violence prevention, over 80% of the Denver office lawyers and staff participate in the program, either as members of the program’s executive committee, or as judges of the students’ submissions.