Press Release

The three finalists for the 2023 TEAM Westport Teen Diversity Essay Contest have been announced by TEAM Westport in partnership with the Westport Library. The public is invited to the Essay Awards Ceremony at the Westport Library on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 6 pm. Registration for in-person or livestreamed attendance may be made via this link. 

This is the 10th consecutive year the Contest has been conducted. It is open to any students (Grades 9-12) attending a school located in Westport or any students (Grades 9-12) who live in Westport but attend schools elsewhere. An award of $1,000, $750 or $500 will be made for placement of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, respectively. This year’s finalists are Savvy Dreas (Greens Farms Academy Junior), Tyler Darden (Staples High School Senior), and Annie Dizon (Greens Farms Academy Senior). The public is invited to attend the ceremony to hear the essays and celebrate the finalists' contributions.

The 2023 Essay Charge is “The Dialogue Challenge: Effective Engagement on Race, Ethnicity, Religion and LGBTQIA+. In 1,000 words or less, reflect on your own interactions with people who have different racial, ethnic, religious,  and/or LGBTQIA+ identities and/or perspectives. What kinds of conversations were particularly helpful in prompting you to rethink your beliefs or opinions, perhaps causing you to change your mind or enabling you to better understand others’ points of view? Based on these experiences, what specific actions would you suggest that individuals, schools, and/or town entities in Westport take to promote good-faith dialogue, reduce bias, and foster understanding?

Team Westport’s mission is to make Westport a more welcoming community with regard to race, religion, ethnicity, and LGBTQIA+.  In order to achieve its mission, one of TEAM Westport’s goals has been to promote opportunities for people to come together in dialogue to better understand each other’s experiences, decrease bias, and learn what we have in common. Meaningful dialogue depends on a good faith effort to set aside preconceived beliefs or what we think we know about other people. www.westportct.gov/teamwestport