By: Kelsey Collins-Kramble (University of Manitoba, Faculty of Education, Teacher Candidate)
This summer, the Manitoba Writing Project collaborated with Can U’s summer leader program to organize Can U’s Read/Write/Share club. The club was open to all interested Can U participants; ultimately becoming a group of about 15 teens. When creating writing challenges and developing a reading list the coordinators focused on three primary themes: “this matters most”, a continuation of MBWP’s spring essay contest for Middle Years students; “hope and perseverance in the face of challenge”, one of Can U’s mantras; and “204 / 431 Manitoba”, in celebration of Manitoba’s 150th.
 
During the month of July, participants had the opportunity to read numerous books by Canadian and Manitoban authors, including a number of Winnipeg authors, that spoke to the other themes of what matters and perseverance. While reading, the Can U leaders could complete various reading challenges, including sharing a favourite quote, listening to an audiobook, continuing the series, or reading a new form such as a graphic novel. In addition to reading, Can U leaders were given opportunities to grow as writers through weekly writing challenges and activities that explored a multiplicity of forms.
 
Due to COVID, the sharing aspect of the club, including the weekly club meetings and workshops, were relegated to online platforms. Can U leaders were able to remain in contact, explore the writing and reading challenges, and share their work through the online platform Padlet. This platform allowed them not only to share their own ideas, but to interact with each other by liking and commenting on other’s posts, creating a community of readers and writers. In addition to Padlet, Can U leaders met with the club coordinators twice a week—once for reading club and once for writing club. During those club meetings, Can U leaders were able to discuss the books they were reading and engage in writing activities as a group. It was in these meetings leaders participated in quick-writes, such as writing a few lines about a photograph. They were also given the opportunity to share their writing with others to find out what their listeners liked about what they had written.
 
We were lucky to spend our final meeting at King’s Park, so we could do a final celebration with a poetry hike and an in-person sharing of our writing. It was evident as we said our goodbyes that the Can U leaders had enjoyed the club. A few noted they were looking forward to joining similar clubs when returning to school, and some indicated their delight that they would be able to continue working on the online reading and writing challenges during the last few weeks of summer. 
 
This collaborative effort was a wonderful way to engage with young readers and writers. We only wish we could have had more time; our 4 weeks flew by much too quickly.

The Manitoba Writing Project’s “This Matters Most” essay
contest is for Middle Years students in grades 6 to 8. Essays
could be something created for a class or independently for
personal exploration, and they can be on any topic.
Personal narratives are invited: in both essay and photo essay forms. 
Contest deadline is March 27, 2020.
Please share and post the flyer and essay contest details (included below).

The MBWP wishes to congratulate the three projects that will be supported this year through the Innovation in Writing Project:

• "Humans of Grant Park High School" proposed by Shaylyn Maharaj-Poliah and Rheana Baril-Bissett, University of Manitoba. Inspired by the “Humans of New York” initiative, the project aims to encourage young writers, photographers, designers, and artists to build relationships with members of the Grant Park community. Students in grades 7-12 will be interviewing members of the community and featuring their stories and photos in a "Humans of Grant Park" Instagram account.
• "Class Act?: Inquiry and Reconciliation" proposed by Sean Giesbrecht and Kimberly Proutt, Linden Meadows School. With their Grade 4 classes, Giesbreht and Proutt are collaborating on a year-long inquiry question: “What might meaningful reconciliation look like to you?” The project aims to teach the truths of Canada’s Indian Residential School System, inviting students to respond to these truths by imagining what a reconciled Canada could look like. The students will create and publish a picture book featuring lyrics to a song co-written with local singer-songwriters, as well as student-created artwork to reflect both the journey of learning about the past as well as hopes for the future.
• "The Many Voices of Glenlawn Project" proposed by Wayne Davies, Vindra Jain, and Cindy Petriw, Glenlawn Collegiate. The project aims to give voice to the multiple languages beyond English in the student body at Glenlawn. In light of the harms done to Indigenous peoples through the deliberate destruction of their languages, it seems incumbent upon schools to find new and novel ways to create spaces for all students to keep, hone and celebrate the language(s) that are important to them and their families and communities. The new initiative will: create a new school publication devoted of multilingual and multimodal student writing; launch a peer writing mentorship program, with space and time for emerging writers to work with volunteer peer writing mentors; and support a group of young people interested in addressing stereotypes and biases through expressive forms such as rap.

We wish to thank all who applied and to encourage the investment you are making in nurturing strong writers.

Friday, August 2, and Saturday, August 3, 2019
Join us for the second annual National Writing Project Midwest Conference on the University of Minnesota campus! Connect with educators across multiple teaching contexts (classrooms, community-based settings, artistic spaces) to teach and learn with one another about race, writing, and power.
Featuring keynote speakers Maria Asp and Bao Phi, with welcoming remarks from Elyse Eidman-Aadahl,  Executive Director of the National Writing Project (NWP).
You can learn more and register on the conference website: