The University Roehampton hosts a young writers programme every year for school students which involves sessions about creative writing that provide a refreshing take on becoming a ‘young writer’. The sessions are informative and equally entertaining for both those who are interested in writing but also for those who want to explore it. One of the best things about this programme is certainly the last session which is a live one at the campus itself! It is a truly enjoyable experience.  

 

Consisting of 4 sessions, each one aims to guide and inspire young writers to simply ‘‘write’’. They gave insightful tips and stimulative prompts to improve on these skills and expand them. These sessions also enabled students to enter the competition in the  Wimbledon Bookfest programme, which is to write any sort of creative writing story on this year’s theme: trees. Winners are published in an anthology and invited to a prize-event giving soon after. This isn’t the only reason the sessions were so valuable, they also provided a new lens through which to explore writing. The sessions emphasized enjoying this task itself, which will naturally improve your writing skills as you write more, understand what works best for you, and hone your skills. Georgia Punwani, a peer of mine who joined and did the programme this year too, relayed that it ‘encourages a kind of free thinking and open approach to creative writing’. 

  

What was especially great about the last session, aside from visiting the wonderful campus and its features, was meeting others with similar interests; whether in books or writing. Of course, the snacks and refreshments were a bonus too! After the session was complete, there was a mini tour around the Campus which spanned from their amazing library to chicken farms. There was lots of greenery, various animals of which most are accessible (like the chickens and bunnies), and their buildings were equally great. As we toured the university, the tour guide also provided fun facts about the institution and particular landmarks. The last session is the most appealing of all and is one to very much look forward to.  

  

The programme was delightful for numerous reasons and provided such great opportunities. It provided a refreshing take on writing and was greatly valuable for young writers and, for example, how to improve or spread their writings. This culminates in their extremely fun and last session at the Campus itself, and it’s great to visit the people, university and animals too! The best way to put the programme and how great it was is put well by Georgia: 'the programme inspires students to have fun writing, making it less serious than people our age are doing. It allows you to write and be a writer.’