After two very successful phases of our Young Writers project, we are delighted to announce a third phase of the project, taking place this summer!

This project, which is in partnership with Donegal County Library Service and Libraries NI, has been generously funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund.

Kids’ Own associate Writer Mary Branley will be working with groups of writers aged 13-18 from counties Donegal and Derry via online creative writing sessions throughout the Summer. Our writers from 2020 are back and they are delighted to welcome new members to join them.

We are also delighted to welcome new members to the project from this Thursday the 3rd of June. If you are a writer aged 13-18 in Donegal or Derry/Londonderry, and would like to join the group, please email [email protected]

There are lots of exciting plans for the 2021 Young Writers project. As well as online creative writing sessions with Mary Branley, there will be online masterclasses with guest different writers and artists and subject to Covid restrictions, some in-person creative days towards the end of the summer.

The young writers group from 2020 will also co-host a workshop with their mentor and writer Mary Branley for Cruinniú na nÓg on Saturday the 12th of June! Details of this event and how to book can be found at this link.

This project has been running since 2018, and we are delighted to have received funding to evaluate the project and to explore its impact on participants. Dr Bryonie Reid of Quarto Collective will be speaking with the group members throughout this project and hearing their thoughts on their experience so far.