Facilitator Jeanie McCallum said the students loved having uninterrupted time to write and learn new skills.
“Narrative is a fundamental aspect of human experience, shaping how we understand ourselves, connect with others and navigate the world around us.
“Learning about the fundamental structure of narrative, writers can turn an ordinary real-life experience into something extraordinary,” she said.
Skylah, from Mangapapa School, said she was a better writer because of the course.
“Everything I learned here will stay with me forever.”
Another Mangapapa student, Ariah, said she learned about how to structure a narrative from start to finish.
“You have taught me so much,” she said after completing the workshop.
The goal was to provide “a literary scaffold” for the students to write in thought-out, constructed sentences that made sense as coherent pieces of work.
“From Aurora’s perspective as a gifted education provider, this writing programme aligned with the current MoE [Ministry of Education] priority of lifting literacy standards,” said foundation director Karen “Sunny” Bush.
The aim was for each writer to produce a story of which they were proud.
“It was about more than just focusing on literacy skills ... we aimed to raise children’s writing performance well above the accepted norm,” Bush said.
The course allowed the children to develop more sophisticated narrative writing skills, hone their creative thinking and nurture their passion for storytelling.
This “slice of life” context encouraged them to look inwards and make sense of their personal experiences from living in Gisborne-Tairāwhiti.
They could create their own worlds and a unique framework of meaning.
“As an inspirational programme, we encourage children to become lifelong writers who love story-writing for their own satisfaction and wellbeing,“ Bush said.
