For 25 years YouthWrite® has been offering kids the opportunity to take part in an inclusive, multi-disciplinary writing camp with talented instructors from many facets of the performing, visual, musical, dance, film and written arts.
The theme for this summer’s camps is to have fun with the notion that truth is stranger than fiction (or vice versa). The idea is for the students to highlight some of the “fake news” that can be found in today’s media, whether it be in tabloids, entertainment, or social media, and to get creative while either exposing it – or not!
The aim of the YouthWrite programs is to broaden young writers’ global and environmental awareness while modelling writing as a powerful tool for change.
“We’re always trying to get kids to work on creative and critical thinking, and not just rely on social media for ideas,” says YouthWrite Creator and Coordinator Gail Sidonie Sobat. “We incorporate things like percussion and words, improv, and yoga as ways of stimulating creativity. Something we’re also excited to introduce to the curriculum this year is the use of animation in writing.”
3 incredible YouthWrite camps coming to Alberta this summer:
• The Elbow River Experience I: Ages 12 to 14, held in Calgary July 3 to 8. Both day and overnight options.
• The Elbow River Experience II: Ages 15 to 19, held in CalgaryJuly 10 to 15. Both day and overnight options.
• The River Valley Experience: Ages 8 to 13, held in Edmonton July 3 to 8. This is a day camp with an option to stay overnight on Thursday, July 7
The camps offer kids the chance to leave everyday life behind and revel in a retreat setting where they can try new things like songwriting, illustrating, cartooning, screenwriting, drumming, and body percussion and words. There are also opportunities for kids to perform, work on-on-one at the Blue Pencil Cafe, be dazzled by guest performers, and be lulled to sleep by their traditional bedtime story!
“These are very active camps; the kids are not just sitting and writing all day like monks,” Sobat says.
Participants also receive a complimentary copy of YouthWrite Magazine, a fine quality print magazine with an ISSN number (so it is a legitimate publication credit for participants).
Camps fill up quickly and course selection is based on a first-come first-served basis, according to receipt of full applications and official acceptance to the camp.
Find out more about YouthWrite camps on Facebook and Instagram, or call