Vulnerable students in Greater Victoria will have an opportunity to discover their narrative and artistic abilities, thanks to funding by the Victoria Foundation for the Creative Writing Programming for Schools with Vulnerable Student Populations.
The program, developed and delivered by the Story Studio Writing Society, engages students in elementary and middle schools to uncover their hidden abilities.
“Every child has a story to tell,” said Sean Rodman, executive director for the non-profit organization.
“While other programs encourage children to read, we target reluctant writers. It is part of a foundation to literacy.”
The program is a valuable tool for schools that have been identified as having a higher proportion of vulnerable students.
“Schools with populations who need our services the most get the most access,” said Rodman, who often leads workshops with three assistants. Other workshops might have a team that consists of a professional artist and writer.
The program, which has helped more than 5,000 children to date, consists of four, two-hour creative writing workshops, spread out over several weeks.
“We encourage the classes to write in narrative. We want to get them hooked on writing,” he said.
While other literary programs focus on reading and writing proficiency, Rodman said their creative writing program doesn’t focus on a child’s spelling abilities or impairment by reading disorders.
“We want to get the message out to the children: ‘You are a gifted writer. You don’t need to be able to spell and it doesn’t matter if you have dyslexia.’”
The program is open to classes from kindergarten to Grade 8, with a goal of encouraging a life-long engagement in literacy.
Upon the conclusion of the program, each student participant receives a customized, bound book of their work.
“This is a program where you see knock-on effects with benefits way down the line.
“It delivers artistic benefits as well as nurture confidence in children.”
The Story Studio Writing Society is a non-profit organization that offers writing-based activities to build confidence, encourage creativity and improve communication skills in youth. For more information, go to storystudio.ca.
