Youth Mentorship Programme Seeks Emerging Young Writers

Youth Mentorship Programme Seeks Emerging Young Writers

Three secondary school students will each have the opportunity to be mentored by one of New Zealand’s best professional authors in order to develop their craft and hone their writing skills. The NZSA Youth Mentorship Programme 2015 offers these aspiring young writers (aged 15-18) a 12.5 hour mentorship, giving them the opportunity to gain valuable skills and knowledge.

Previous recipient Sophie Rose van Waardenberg of Auckland was partnered with Dunedin-based poet Sue Wootton for her 2014 mentorship. She had this to say of her mentorship experience:

‘I feel like my progress has been both practical, in my use of words and the crafting of my work, and in terms of confidence. I’ve grown in my ability to share work in progress, to take criticism as useful and not hurtful, and to feel encouraged rather than discouraged about the potential that my work could have. My mentor was such a good fit for me as she writes poetry that I find myself falling in love with over and over, and take a lot of inspiration from.’

The intent of the mentor programme is to foster and develop emerging writing talent with the support of established authors. The NZSA has run a highly successful mentoring programme for writers since 1999, thanks to support from Creative New Zealand.

ends

© Scoop Media