Learn with Your Teens
We want to help you support your young writer. Register at a discounted rate to attend main sessions with your student and attend special parent sessions.
Raising a Young Writer Can Be Challenging
Most parents didn’t expect to be raising a young writer.
And sometimes you can feel lost as you try to guide your teen in a craft you don’t have much experience in.
Especially when your teen is wrestling with hard ethical questions in their writing.
Or when they begin talking about attending writing conferences, having professional social media accounts, and starting their own email list.
(And what’s a “writing sprint”?)
We’ve worked with teen writers for years. And we want to give you the information and advice you need to better understand, guide and support your young writer.
Here are the three ways we’d like to do so at the Young Writer Retreat for parents who purchase the parent ticket:
general sessions
Attend the normal sessions each day with your child.
parent lounge
Connect with other parents in our parent lounge.
Parent workshops
Attend workshops on how to support your young writer.
Parent Volunteer Opportunity
We’re looking for parent volunteers to help us with providing supervision for the bunkhouses. Volunteers will act as bunkhouse supervisors by staying in the bunkhouses and providing oversight in case any issues come up between 10 PM and 8 AM. In exchange, we’ll cover the costs of bunkhouse lodging for the parent volunteer and their child.
Parents will need to be background checked as a part of the application process for this position. Fill out the secure application form by clicking the button below.
Parent Workshops
Guiding the Young Writer: What Parents Need to Know
Chuck Black
Join author Chuck Black for a session specifically designed for parents supporting a child’s serious literary pursuits. If you feel unsure how to guide a field you’re unfamiliar with, this is for you. Gain the understanding and tools needed to effectively instruct and support your student. We’ll discuss fostering strong writing habits, addressing creative challenges, and navigating the unique, often-unclear career paths of writing. Empower your young author!
A Brief History of YWW for Parents
Jaquelle Ferris
In this session, Jaquelle will talk about how The Young Writer’s Workshop was first created, and the influence both her parents and Brett’s parents have had on the program. She’ll also discuss how parents can help their student get the most out of YWW.
How to provide helpful feedback to your child when you're not a writer
Josiah DeGraaf
Young writers often want to hear their parents’ feedback on what they’ve written. But how do you know when they need encouragement or when they’re looking for advice? And how can you give helpful advice when you’re not a writer yourself? In this session, Josiah DeGraaf will break down the secrets to giving helpful feedback, even when you’re not a writer.
How Do I Support My Creative Writer?
Katherine Briggs
Do you wonder how to help your child grow in storytelling without crushing his or her creativity, what are the benefits of practicing creative writing, or if becoming an author is a wise choice today? Let’s look to Jesus, the master storyteller, and enjoy discussing the value of encouraging creative writing.
Non-writing Skills to Help Your Child in the Writing Journey
Rachel Scheller