YOUNG WRITERS AWARDS
In the fall of 2020, Prairie Wind Writing Centre will again be offering a writing contest for young writers. Submissions include short story, poetry, essay and a creative option of choice. Winners each category will be awarded a $150 gift certificate from Chapters. The theme of the contest is “Words change the world”.
The Junior Pilgrim Writers is a program we love. First, we introduce you to the idea of “life as a pilgrimage”.
What is a pilgrimage? It’s a journey. In the case of the Pilgrim Writers, it is an imaginary journey.
When you become a Junior Pilgrim Writer you are asked to see life as a journey, a pilgrimage, a challenge. First, we spend a short time quieting our minds in preparation for writing. Secondly you explore your reactions to part of the journey.
There are no right or wrong answers. And no one reads your writing. There are no punctuation, spelling, or grammar police. There is no minimum or maximum number of words you have to write.
From studying students who have become Junior Pilgrim Writers we know that this kind of writing is helpful. For example, the Pilgrim Writers we studied felt they were more committed to finishing school, could handle their feelings better, and their Language Arts skills improved
Journaling for youth is using writing to get to know yourself, to understand your feelings, to solve problems, and to figure out who you want to be in life.
There are many different techniques of writing to do this. You are never too young to start. And you don’t need to be a good writer. Your journal is just for you.
We are happy to send you “guidelines for journaling” to help you use writing in ways that help you feel good about yourself. For example, make your privacy is protected. That is, put your journal in a place where no one else can read it. By doing so, you will feel freer to write what you honestly think and feel. We can also suggest websites that may help you with prompts for your writing (ideas about what to write about and how to get you started).