Supported as a pilot of the Creative Ireland Programme Scheme 2018/19, Fighting Words helps children and adults unlock the power of their own imaginations.
A dynamic creative writing organisation that has successfully supported and inspired people of all ages since 2007, Fighting Words now boasts eight branches across Dublin, Belfast, Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Kerry, Cork and Wicklow.
Intent on enabling children and young people, as well as adults who didn’t have the chance in their youth, to discover the power of their innate creative potential; here’s a flavour of the vital support Fighting Words have been providing and are planning for the future.
Just last month, the organisation partnered with DCU University of Sanctuary – a title given thanks to its commitment in welcoming asylum seekers and refugees into the campus community – for an innovative pilot programme. Together they ran theatre-making workshops at the Gate Theatre especially for asylum seekers living in direct provision. Through the pilot, the participants had the opportunity to flex their creative muscles by writing songs and scripts, devising characters and trying their hand at improvisation too.
Between its recently-run workshops in Wicklow and Belfast and the pilot workshops that have taken place with great success in Kildare, Fighting Words are also hoping to widen their inspirational net and establish centres in Wexford, Clare, Derry, Limerick and Laois. No doubt an exciting prospect for budding writing talent in those counties.
The organisation’s renowned playwriting programmes will also soon be available to even more would-be writers nationwide. Already running to huge acclaim with the Abbey Theatre for the past six years, in 2019 the programme will be extended to partner with Youth Theatre Ireland and occupy more theatres across the country. Just some of the planned theatres include The Everyman and Graffiti Theatre Company in Cork, the Linenhall in Mayo and the Hawk’s Well Theatre in Sligo.
Supporting one of Creative Ireland’s core aims, to Enable the Creative Potential of Every Child, Fighting Words has also begun a compelling partnership with the Institute of Education at DCU. Supported by the Department of Education and Skills, one of the Creative Ireland Programme’s key partners, both organisations are now working together to explore how the Fighting Words approach to creativity might positively influence the education sector, working from the ground up with teacher training.
Inspiring, innovative and inclusive, Fighting Words is just one of the many organisations nationwide that’s arming people with the creative skills to become resilient and successful shapers of their own lives.
