Program Overview

In this 5-day writing workshop, participants will learn to leverage the power of story to create positive change in their communities. By learning to encourage the critical thought of readers, participants will learn to tackle social and environmental issues through narrative and persuasive writing techniques.

Participants will learn how to:

• Write stories, articles, and letters that inspire readers to take action
• Engage readers through the power of story
• Use narrative and persuasive writing in fiction and nonfiction pieces

Program Goals

• Participants understand the layout of a typical story arch
• Participants understand what is and how to practise narrative writing
• Participants understand what is and how to practice persuasive writing 
• Participants understand how to utilize their writing skills to inspire action
• Participants gain confidence in sharing their writing with others

Objectives

• Participants receive external perspective on where they can improve their writing
• Participants explore how to inspire action through storytelling
• Participants explore how the news we read shapes our opinions

Logistics and Fee

Workshop inclusions:

• Five hours of facilitated activities, group sharing, and writing exercises
• Workbook and writing resources to support participants in enhancing their writing skills
• Personal facilitator feedback 

Program Details/Itinerary

Day One: The Power of Story and Narrative Writing (1 hour)

• Introduction and review of group guidelines (10 minutes)
  • Practice mindful listening when others are speaking by staying free of distractions and keeping your microphone muted
  • Speak from the heart and use “I” statements
  • Say just enough and encourage each other in your writing skills
• Prompt (5 minutes): “When I say “story”, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?”
• Activity (10 minutes): Participants are led through analysing and understanding how a traditional story arch works. We will also discuss our relation to stories.
• Activity (10 minutes): Choose 3 commonly known stories and analyze as a group where each part of the story aligns with a traditional story arch.
• Prompt (5 minutes): Participants are given a story prompt from their workbook that includes the beginning and the end of a story.
• Activity (10 minutes): Using their workbook, participants write an outline of a story using the story arch worksheet. Their story will fill in the inciting incident, rising action, climax and falling action based on the story prompt.
  • Opportunity for questions and support from facilitator
• Assignment (overnight): Participants write out their story based on the workshop activity (up to 800 words) and have it ready for day two.

Day Two: Non-Fiction Narrative Writing (1 hour)

• Prompt (5 minutes): Open floor for reflections from the assignment
• Sharing (20 minutes): 
  • 3 participants are asked to share their stories
  • The group shares what stood out for them/what they loved about the story
• Facilitator (10 minutes): Working with a story arch to share and write our personal experiences 
• Activity (20 minutes): Analyse 2 – 3 short stories of changemakers
  • Prompt examples: “What about this story made you want to read more? What inspired you? How is this a narrative piece? Where was each part of the story arch in these stories?”
• Facilitator (5 minutes): Introduction to day two writing assignment, participants reminded to submit their day one story for feedback
• Assignment (overnight): 
  • Participants outline their story arch and write a nonfiction story (up to 1000 words) about themselves doing something good in their community, or someone who they admire that has made a positive impact on a local or global scale.
  • Participants submit their day one stories to the facilitator for review

Day 3: Persuasive Writing (1 hour)

• Prompt (5 minutes): Open floor for reflections from the assignment
• Sharing (20 minutes)
• Facilitator (20 minutes): Introduction to persuasive writing
  • Use of headlines
  • Crafting a personal point of view
  • Evoking critical thought
  • Call to action
• Activity (10 minutes): Analyse 2 – 3 persuasive articles that address action for various social and environmental issues
  • The purpose of persuasive writing and how to craft a persuasive piece
• Facilitator (5 minutes): Introduction to day three writing assignment, participants reminded to submit their day two-story for feedback
• Assignment (overnight): 
  • Participants to complete a worksheet listing the differences they noticed between the reviewed narrative and persuasive pieces we read.
  • Participants choose a social or environmental justice issue they are passionate about and research how the issue is being addressed at a local, state, and national level. After completing their research, they are to come up with a list of three opportunities present to address the issue. Participants are inspired to think out of the box and dive into how their community can come together to address a specific issue, regardless of barriers.
  • Participants share their day two stories with the facilitator for review.

Participants receive feedback on their day one stories.

Day 4: Letters for Change (1 hour)

• Prompt (5 minutes): Open floor for reflections from the assignment
• Prompt (10 minutes): “What are a few key differences you noticed in the narrative pieces vs. the persuasive pieces?”
• Facilitator (10 minutes): Different ways we can create persuasive pieces that follow a narrative/story format
  • News articles
  • Blogs 
  • Essays 
  • Letters to the government 
• Activity (15 minutes): Facilitator and participants analyse 2 effective and 2 non-effective persuasive pieces
• Facilitator (5 minutes): Introduction to day four activity
• Activity (10 minutes): Participants outline their letter using a story arch
  • Opportunity for questions and support from facilitator
• Assignment (overnight): Using the research and assignment components from day three, participants are asked to write a letter to their local representative asking them to support them in taking action.

Participants also receive feedback on their day two stories.

Day 5: Sharing (1 hour)

• Activity (50 minutes): Participants are encouraged to share their letters
  • Fishbowl format: After a participant shares their story, the group is prompted to share one thing that stood out for them about the story
• Thank you from facilitator and wrap-up (10 minutes)
  • Next steps: participants to give workshop feedback, facilitator to send out feedback, etc.

After the workshop is completed, participants receive written and video feedback from the facilitator with analysis of their workbook/writing throughout the workshop, with emphasis on the final assignment.

This workshop will be facilitated by Jazzmine Raine. 

Fill out the form below to book your place in this workshop.