What is Creative Connections?
Creative Connections is a cross-border creative writing project by Fighting Words, Fighting Words NI and Graffiti Theatre Company, funded by Creative Ireland.
From October 2024-June 2025, we will work with community groups in Belfast, Newry, Armagh, Louth, Monaghan, Dublin and Cork. The project is open to young people aged 15-24 and each programme will be delivered by professional artists.
Groups will be paired with a group across the border, and together they will embark on a shared writing quest. Each pairing will decide on a creative goal to work towards. This might be a play, a song or a collection of stories – it’s up to the participants to decide!
What does the project involve?
Our team will come to your space to deliver a series of fun, engaging writing workshops tailored to the needs and schedule of your group. Workshops will take place over 6-8 weeks and will be 1.5-2hrs long.
We focus on imagination and creativity rather than word count, spelling or grammar (those things are important but editing comes later!). Participants don’t need any experience with creative writing to take part - everyone will be able to participate, no matter their confidence level.
Each pairing will include three opportunities for the groups to get together. We envision that each group will visit the other in their space, plus a third meet up in another local venue. For example:
- Group 1 visits group 2 in their space
- Group 2 visits group 1 in their space
- Groups 1 and 2 meet in a third space
Each pairing will decide together how they will collaborate, choosing which styles of writing they want to explore (e.g. stories, scripts, songs, poetry), and how they want to showcase their work (e.g. in a print publication, a podcast or a performance).
Project delivery will conclude with a celebration of the work in Dublin.
What does the project offer your young people?
A chance to meet new people: we want to offer meaningful meet-ups for participants – more than a quick hello & goodbye! Our facilitators will design sessions to maximise interaction and collaboration between participants.
- Creative freedom & decision-making: we want to hear the voices of young people – what writing styles would they like to explore? What is important to them and what do they want to say? Participants will gain experience sharing ideas and making creative decisions throughout the process.
- Developing confidence & self-expression skills: taking part in something new is a sure-fire way to develop confidence. We have experience working with all levels of ability (and enthusiasm!). Participants will grow in confidence in speaking in a group, listening to others and giving feedback to their peers. Seeing their work showcased is always a highlight of our projects for participants.
- Discovering the joy of writing: some people love to write while others think it’s not for them. We know that every person has the ability to be creative and, with a little support, can find joy in expressing themselves through writing. No matter the starting point, our team will support each young person to find their creative voice and share with the world what’s most important to them.
Register your interest here: https://forms.gle/JdWBTyE6y1Acq5KLA
