Fighting Words NI has just wrapped a one-of-a-kind event for young writers – our very first creative writing summer camp. In a fantastic four-day event between the 8th and 11th of August, young people from around Northern Ireland participated in our workshop in Belfast, flexing their creative writing skills through scripts, prose, song writing, poetry, and even video game world building.
Young people experienced four days of creative freedom to let their ideas take them anywhere – all while being given feedback from their peers and from experienced mentors. Not only did the writers gain skills and experience to last a lifetime, they also had a lot of fun doing it.
Our Write Club Co-ordinator, Hannah Armstrong explains the thinking behind the Summer Camp:
“We wanted to give young people the opportunity to explore freely and find out what they enjoyed. We decided to offer four genres over four days, with space for sixteen participants. No previous experience of writing was required – just a curiosity to try and see what happened. With the help of four excellent facilitators, we developed a daily schedule of prose, song writing, screenwriting and world-building for games.”
The camp’s grand finale consisted of a showcase at Banana Block where each young writer performed their work for an audienceof family, friends and guests.. Hannah considers this as a stand-out moment for all the young people involved in thecamp
“The absolute highlight, for me, was the showcase. There were a lot of unknowns up until the last moment– each day was a dip into a new world of writing, and we didn’t know who would want to share what, until the four days were complete.
“The writers rose spectacularly to the occasion, and it was a pleasure to listen as they shared their work – short stories were read, songs and screenplays performed, and we were walked through the worlds they’d created as video games.”
Hannah explains the invaluable benefits of the summer camp for the young people involved –feedback from participants demonstrated thatthe camp allowed them to gain confidence, freedom, and creativity in their creative writing pursuits.
“They developed confidence in themselves as thinkers, writers and (in some cases) performers.
“It has provided scope for my imagination,” we were told afterwards.
“I have more confidence in my writing.”
They came to better know their own voice and how to communicate their inner world through words.
They were inspired: “It broadened my horizons. I’m considering more future careers in writing.’”.
The opportunities that Fighting Words create for young people in Northern Ireland, like the Summer Camps, give young people a chance to meet and make friends with a whole new group of people.
Perhaps most importantly, [the participants] formed new friendships. One participant shared: “I've gained a lot more confidence as a writer and I've made a few friends who are really interesting and fun. People I probably wouldn't have met otherwise.”
Parents also shared their thoughts with us, saying it was a “brilliant show by the young people and the group of leaders who helped them,” and another commenting that the camp “seemed to engage and empower the young people to be creative”.
With the summer camp being such a great success, Fighting Words NI is looking ahead to even more ambitious future projects. Hannah explains:
“Our next camp will take place during the Hallowe’en holidays and another in the Easter holidays. Both camps will explore one genre, allowing participants to dive in deeply and find what it is they want to bring to the world.”
Each camp will welcome twelve young writers over three days and finishes with a showcase for participants to present their work to family and friends and promises to be an experience like no other for young people in Northern Ireland.
For more information on our workshops, visit fightingwords.co.uk, e-mail hannah@fightingwords.co.uk, or visit Fighting Words NI on Facebook or Instagram.
