Every fall, the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Creative Writing recruits graduate students to become New Shoots mentors. We pair each mentor with a participating Vancouver School Board (VSB) secondary school teacher and the students in their classroom or extracurricular club.
Mentors encourage students to explore and have fun with writing. They share their own craft, inspire students to take risks, and create a fun variety of activities and prompts to engage the class. Areas of focus may include fiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, comics, new media, and more!
Whether or not a student is already interested in writing, they benefit richly from the skills they build during these sessions. The program does not give assignments, homework, or grades, allowing participants a nonjudgmental space in which to find their voices. As writers, we know that creativity comes from freedom without pressure!
Many teen participants find that ‘spark’ and continue to develop projects they began as writing prompts in class. All New Shoots students are strongly encouraged to submit their work for consideration to the annual anthology.
If you’re interested in joining the program, please contact us.
newshoots.ca 
