Young Mentors
First Story Young Mentors are students who have completed our flagship Young Writers Programme and want to continue their creative writing journey. Young Mentors and mentees can use this opportunity to further develop their confidence, writing skills and creativity while also learning new skills.
First Story Partner Schools can click the link below and sign up three alumni to be Young Mentors for 2024/25.
This project has helped me boost my confidence by talking about my ideas. It’s also made me improve my leadership skills by taking on responsibilities.
2021/22 cohort
Why take part?
Becoming a First Story Young Mentor offers First Story alumni a fun and rewarding way to build on the skills they have learnt through participating in the Young Writers Programme the previous year.
Students can share their passion for creative writing with their peers, and gain valuable mentoring skills and experience.
The scheme is teacher-led and self-directed by alumni who are motivated to continue to engage with the Young Writers Programme for a second year. Young Mentors can act as inspiring role models by encouraging and supporting their peers and wider school community to share their passion for creative writing.
What to expect
The Young Mentors resource on our Hub provides helpful prompts for students on getting started, with suggested activities, from facilitating a creative writing workshop alongside their Writer-in-Residence, to running an anthology launch and showcase event.
Young Mentors may reflect on and share their own experience of taking part in the programme with new participants, to help them make the most of the opportunity. Through peer-mentoring, they can further develop interpersonal, collaboration, and communication skills, in addition to the core programme outcomes of increased confidence, creativity and craft. Young Mentors may act as First Story Young Writers Programme ambassadors across their year group or whole school. The elements of choice and adaptability can provide a sense of agency and greater depth of engagement.
We want to support participants to go further in developing the interests and skills that they discovered and help them to share these with others.
BETH GODDARD, First Story’s Head of Programmes
How to take part
Up to three students per school who have completed the Young Writers Programme can join Young Mentors throughout the year. Click below to sign up your students now.
