First Story
Charity number: 1122939
Website: www.firststory.org.uk
Description:
First Story changes lives through writing. The core aim of our programme is to foster literacy, creativity and confidence in students from low-income communities. We work with young people with limited access to cultural resources and opportunities, and connect them with the literary community to extend their interests, aspirations and engagement in learning. Our programme places talented, professional writers into secondary schools to run weekly creative-writing workshops ? an activity that culminates with the publication of an anthology of their work and a book-launch event. We build on this by offering additional opportunities such as trips to cultural venues and universities, visits from writers to schools, and writing competitions.
Through the programme, students are taught to draw on their own life experiences as a basis for writing, which gives them the confidence to know that their lives, stories and voices are important. This goes on to improve non-cognitive skills such as self-esteem, life satisfaction and resilience, and has a huge impact on their attainment and sense of aspiration. Students gain skills that will stay with them throughout their lives: this can underpin their success in school, support their transition to further education and employment, and enhance the quality of their lives.