What is NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program?
NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program supports young writers and the educators who guide them. We help young writers learn how to set their own goals and work toward them, develop a deeper understanding of the practice of writing, and give them access to a community of writers—in their classroom and online.
Young writers are actively engaged in their own learning. Our website helps students set their own writing goal, track their progress, and celebrate their achievements. They can do this in the classroom, from home, or wherever they might have internet access.
Young writers become a part of a greater writing community. Students receive pep talks from published authors, learning from and about writers like Sharon G. Flake, Gene Luen Yang, and Walter Dean Myers. They choose what they want to write about, practicing their writing, creativity, and imagination alongside an international community of young writers.
Young writers are taught by well-supported educators. Our website provides online classrooms for educators, including progress-monitoring tools, a discussion platform, and a messaging system.
Who does the Young Writers Program serve?
In 2019, NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program served 97,211 young writers and 7,139 educators around the world. Those numbers can be a little hard to imagine! If it helps, the San Francisco Unified School District serves around 60,133 students (we obviously have a much narrower focus, though!).
We survey our students and educators regularly:
35% of YWP educators surveyed work at schools with school-wide Title 1 funding. (In the United States, Title 1 schools receive funding to help low-income or low-achieving students who are struggling to meet educational standards. Schools can only receive school-wide funding if 40% of the students come from low-income families. Find out more.)
The YWP students surveyed reflect the diversity of the United States. In 2019, 48% identified as white, 18% Hispanic/Latino, 12% Black/African American, 9% Asian/Asian American, 6% Multiracial, 3% Native American/Alaska Native, 3% Middle Eastern/Arab American, 1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. (In contrast, 2019 survey respondents for our adult programs reported being 81% white.)
What is the Young Writers Program focusing on right now?
We’re anticipating more students and educators using the site, and spending even more time on it than they usually do, as many schools are figuring out how they will adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in countries that continue to see rising cases, like the United States.
In preparation, we’re building new features for the site, adjusting the classroom kits we usually mail to educators (at no cost to them) so they’re better suited for distance learning, and preparing our budget for rising server costs.
We’d also like to translate our materials—in particular our workbooks—into Spanish for greater accessibility, both here in the United States and internationally.
How can you support students and educators through the Young Writers Program?
- Donate to the Young Writers Program.
- Let the young folks, parents, and educators in your life know about the Young Writers Program.
Donate $25 to the Young Writers Program.
Share this link to the Young Writers Program website.
All donations made from July 7 – July 17, 2020, will be restricted to the Young Writers Program at NaNoWriMo. This means that we’ll only use those funds for budget items associated with the Young Writers Program, including staff pay for employees who work directly with the Young Writers Program, costs for managing and hosting the YWP website, and costs for resources like the YWP classroom kits.
(Usually, any donations made through our store go toward our general operating costs—this is also incredibly valuable and appreciated. We’re restricting donations for this campaign to prepare YWP to both help educators and young writers through the unique challenges of this year, and set up YWP for long-term success!)
