Creative writing charity for young people

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This academic year, First Story was thrilled to secure seed funding from the Garrick Charitable Trust to pilot an innovative national training programme for writers with an emerging facilitation practice.  

The programme, aptly named FACILITATE, aimed to support writers and performers who wish to work as creative writing facilitators with young people (under 25 years) in education and community settings. 

Working in partnership with New Writing North, Apples and Snakes, Royal Literary Fund and National Centre for Writing, First Story co-developed and co-delivered the programme, drawing on the expertise of freelance practitioners and partner-organisation staff. 

Beginning in October 2024, FACILITATE provided a varied and comprehensive course, delivered online across six months to an invited cohort of ten emerging writer-facilitators.   

Course units included an introduction to freelance working, partnership working, workshop planning and delivery, managing group dynamics and how to seek out and get the most from mentoring and shadowing opportunities. The final session of the programme was devised in response to the specific training needs and interests of the participants, and focused on adapting to and working with additional needs.  

We look forward to reflecting on the learning from this pilot, alongside our partners, and considering how we might continue to support early career writer-facilitator development. 

Feedback from participants

The programme blew me away – I learned so much, both from the facilitators and the other participants, and reframing facilitation as a ‘part of creative practice’ rather than something at the edges was nourishing and inspiring.

The course has coincided with my first role as a facilitator in a school and it’s been really helpful having the support of these sessions as I navigated that. 

I’ve learnt some great creative writing exercises that I can adapt for my own workshops, and my own ideas have been validated by guest speakers, making me more excited to take these forward and put them into practice. 

I’ve really enjoyed the sessions and the opportunities that Facilitate has given me. I’ve now got a folder of notes and tips that will serve as my ‘bible’ going forward.