TYWI Creative Writing Virtual Summer Programs Are Back (Read for Dates + Opportunities)!
Apply for our summer camp leadership positions and learn about TYWI summer programs!
When we started TYWI five years ago, we had one mission — create valuable, accessible, and affordable resources for young writers. While we have grown, our core mission has stayed the same. TYWI’s Summer Camp 2020 is the epitome of that mission. In 2020, a global pandemic that thwarted everyone from their plans and required a pivot. We longed for connection and rededication to our writing. Thus, The Young Writers Initiative’s Summer Camp was born.
TYWI Summer Camp is a place of warm community, a fiery dedication to writing, and a robust educational opportunities. Our free model meant we got a wide-array of writers in our camp servers. Our daily challenges, writing sprints, feedback sessions equipped young writers with the tools necessary to pursue their pursuits. We held workshops with authors such as Marissa Meyer, Chloe Gong, Malavika Kannan, and prominent agents like Suzie Townsend (agent of Victoria Aveyard and Cassandra Clare). Summer Camp quickly became the heart of TYWI.
We’ve have four iterations of summer camp over the years. 2024, we paused our summer camp program to focus on our revitalization, but we’re pleased to say it’s back with a new format called Summer Workshop! Both opportunities will be virtual-only, and are open to any young writer in the world.
Summer Camp is for writers aged 13-17 while Workshop is for 18-25. Camp includes daily activities, writing sprints, open mics, and workshops that foster community and encourage skill development. We’ll have fiction and poetry cabins. Workshop is designed after MFA workshops, where writers will come in with two pieces, spend sessions critiquing each others work, and emerge with revised and peer-reviewed work. Topics will be defined based on the workshop leaders that apply. We operate on a pay-what-you-can basis, with plenty of donation waivers for those without financial means. We do this because we know young writers are cash strapped, but we want to open up the ability to contribute to our cause. Participant applications open May 1st, but please consider joining leadership! Read further to learn more about our leadership opportunities!
Speaking of leadership, we come to you today to implore you to apply for our camp counselor and workshop coordinator positions! Camp counselors work in groups to create engaging opportunities for young writers to nurture their craft and creative skill. They host write-in’s, develop daily challenges, open-mics, and other kinds of events to bring the camp community close together. Counselors must be 16 or older.
Workshop Coordinators act as the head of the workshop, organizing the schedule, distributing materials, setting up meetings, and providing direction and moderation for workshopping sessions. Workshop Coordinators may also elect to have their own work read and reviewed, and they can help select the topic of their workshop. Additionally, with the help of the TYWI summer program leadership, they can select readings and craft exercises for their workshops to engage in, and social activities. Coordinators must be above 18.
Sound interesting? Apply for summer camp leadership by clicking this link! Applications run on a rolling basis, so fill it out as soon as you can! They officially close May 10th, but depending on how many seats we fill, they may close later! Don’t let this opportunity pass you up! This is a volunteer position (as all TYWI positions) eligible for Presidential Volunteer Scholarship Hours (USA), and can potentially qualify for college credit hours depending on your institutional requirements. TYWI is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and summer camp will be on a pay-what-you-can basis with plenty of waivers for those who do not have the financial means to participate otherwise.
Summer Camper and Workshop applications open Mid-May for a few weeks, and camp is slated to begin in June. Keep an eye out for those drops. Meanwhile, if you’re passionate about leadership and want to get involved deeper with camp, please apply to be a leader today! You can change lives and empower young writers to share their stories.
Camp is a wonderful opportunity to cultivate friendships, meaning in your life, and give back to the writing community. As communicated by a meme a previous camper made, camp is love, warmth, and growth. Be a part of something bigger. If you have any questions or concerns, leave a comment or email summerprograms@tywi.org.
Keep an eye out for future newsletters from our summer camp director, Ruby Versele!
this looks so cool!
How do I sign up? And how much does it cost?