NewWriters.org.uk is not a charity, but every time we run a writing competition that charges an entry fee, we donate a proportion of that entry fee to charity. For both our 2022 Flash Fiction Competition and our 2023 Poetry Competition we chose to donate £1.00 from each entry to First Story. To date we have donated around £1,500 to the charity.
In addition, we also donate 10% of overall company profits to The Funzi and Bodo Trust who run and/or fund various medical, developmental and educational projects in Kenya.
Here is some information about the charity and the great work First Story do.
First Story is England’s leading creative writing charity for young people. They enrich the lives of students in low-income communities by providing quality extracurricular creative activities and cultural experiences that foster creativity, confidence, ability and talent.
The charity believes every young person deserves to reap the benefits of a rich creative education and our vision is a society that encourages and supports young people from all backgrounds to practice creative writing for pleasure, self-expression and agency. Their flagship Young Writers Programme places inspiring professional writers in residence in non-selective secondary schools, where they work intensively with a consistent group towards publication of a printed anthology. Participants in First Story groups are encouraged to develop their unique voices and taught to tell their own stories with confidence and skill. Regular local and national events and competitions, plus resources and support for teachers, add value to our provision and offer a year-round experience.
The charity’s growing portfolio of exclusive opportunities for First Story alumni, in partnership with prestigious arts organisations, ensures an accessible progression pipeline for talent. No other organisation in England offers a comparable richness and depth of creative writing provision. Embedding professional writers in schools over an extended period, and their focus on supporting secondary-age students in some of the most ethnically diverse and socio-economically deprived areas of the country, sets First Story apart.
Diversity and inclusion underpins and guides everything that they do and they are committed to empowering young people with agency and amplifying their voices.
Find out more at firststory.org.uk