Northern Ireland

Pupils from four Belfast schools come together to explore creative writing and expression

Pupils from four schools in Belfast were involved in the project
Pupils from four schools in Belfast were involved in the project Pupils from four schools in Belfast were involved in the project

PUPILS from four schools in Belfast have come together to explore creative writing and expression.

More than 100 young writers from P6 and P7 were involved in producing an anthology called 'New Worlds' - an initiative organised by creative writing centre Fighting Words NI.

Children from Scoil an Droichid, Victoria Park Primary School, Fane Street Primary School and Holy Family Primary School attended workshops and collaborated over Zoom to create and produce story endings for the anthology, which is now online.

Despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic at the time, Fighting Words NI brought together the four schools with the writers using their imaginations to explore 'new worlds', which they have never been to before, offering help to each other through exchanging stories and letters.

In a specially written foreword for ‘New Worlds’, then Lord Mayor of Belfast, Kate Nicholl said: "The young people who have written the stories in this anthology have developed the brightest of ideas, have imagined entirely new communities and have sought to help, repair and make contact with places they have never seen.

"We are thrilled to read their stories about the spirit of community amidst great imagined new worlds.

"And I hope that perhaps we’ll find some inspiration in these pages as we work together to make Belfast an even kinder, more equal and more welcoming city."

Fighting?Words?NI, which is based in east Belfast, provides free creative writing opportunities for children and young people aged 6-18 through its?schools’?story making workshops, after-school write clubs and community engagement programme.???????

Mícheál McCann from Fighting Words NI, said: "This project was an absolute joy to manage and even though the pupils weren’t able to meet in person due to Covid restrictions, they communicated so well over Zoom and even sent each other messages of support and encouragement during the writing process

"They were delighted to receive a special video message from the lord mayor of Belfast and we recorded some of our staff and volunteers reading story excerpts from 'New Worlds' which was a little extra recognition for their hard work."

For further information, please visit www.fightingwords.co.uk/anthologies