Secondary School Programmes
Our FREE creative writing workshops for secondary school students are a great way to get your students excited about writing!
Creative writing is a skill - one that anyone can learn, develop and enjoy.
At our Creative Writing workshops for secondary school students, we offer the opportunity to work both as a group and individually in a relaxed, supportive and creative environment.
Students are supported throughout the two-hour session by our team of trained and vetting writing mentors, who provide plenty of positive feedback and advice.
All our programmes are creative, engaging and 100% free of charge!
Workshop Structure - Group Work and Individual Writing Time
During the first part of our two-hour Creative Writing workshop, our volunteer mentors work with students to create the first half of a story together as a group with a bit of role play and improvisation.
They work with students to identify key elements of a story, such as plot, setting, and character development, and editing as they go.
The students then spend the rest of the session finishing the collective story individually or work on their own pieces of writing, advised and encouraged by our team. Finally, students have the opportunity to share their endings aloud.
Benefits Outside the Classroom
These workshops are not only beneficial for students’ creativity, but help develop writing skills and self-confidence, which they can take with them and apply to their daily lives outside of the classroom.
Our Team
Our workshops are run by teams of volunteer writing mentors, supervised by Fighting Words staff using our fun and interactive formats. Specialist workshops are delivered by experienced practitioners in a variety of fields, such as playwriting, graphic fiction, short stories and more.
All programming is focused on supporting children and young people to tell their own stories in their own voice and at their own pace. There is never a focus on spelling or grammar. The content is decided by the participants, with advice and guidance from the Fighting Words team.
Trained and Vetted Mentors
At Fighting Words, the safety of young people comes first.
Our staff and all our volunteer mentors are subject to Garda vetting, interviews and reference checks. They are also required to attend training sessions in our workshop formats and child protection.
While our mentors come from all walks of life, all of them are motivated by a love of working with children and young people in a creative environment and fostering creativity.
Now Open! Bookings for the 2023-2024 Academic Year
Please note that places are allocated by lottery due to demand.
To be placed on the cancellation list for the current academic year contact Mark@fightingwords.ie
Click below to register your school to be considered for a secondary school workshop for the 2023-2024 academic year!
More Information & Links
For more information, email our Programme Coordinator, Mark Davidson at mark@fightingwords.ie, with your name and the name of your school.
Write Club - the free online club for writers in secondary school
Transition Year Placements - Fighting Words offers placements to students in Transition Year in Dublin and Wicklow. Click here to find out more.
Mailing List - Would you like to keep up to date with the latest Fighting Words has to offer? Complete the form below to join our school mailing list to receive news about upcoming projects and events!
