Registration Open for NWA Writing Project Young Writers Camps

The Northwest Arkansas Writing Project will host Young Writers Camps on the U of A campus and at other sites in Northwest Arkansas this summer. Camps are open to students currently in second through 11th grade. Registration is available at the Young Writers Camp link. 

From June 15-26, students will meet at the University of Arkansas, Hellstern Middle School in Springdale, and Washington Junior High School in Bentonville (for WJH students only) from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Vicki Collet, director of Young Writers Camp, said students can expect active learning in a fun camp environment.

"Our two goals are that students have fun and that their writing improves," Collet said.

The camp includes a variety of activities that encourage students to write both fiction and non-fiction. Students might participate in a scavenger hunt, looking for clues that would help them write a story. At the 2025 camps, students played guessing games to focus on using descriptive language, analyzed and wrote song lyrics, and interviewed K9 handlers and Razorback student-athletes. Students said feedback from peers and instructors helped their writing most.

"We tell students that they need to exercise their writing muscles every day," Collet explained. "Just like kids attending sports camps, writing takes practice and stamina. We give kids lots of opportunities for both as they participate in individual, small group, and whole-group writing experiences."

A parent whose child attended last year's camp wrote, "My son absolutely loved the camp. He did not want to miss any of it. It was refreshing to see a teenager so excited about writing."

Camp teachers will meet after students leave each day to collaborate and focus on improved writing instruction. These professional learning experiences are an important part of the project. "Not only are students learning during our Young Writers Camp, but teachers are taking away strategies they will use in their classrooms," Collet said.

Camps for young writers have been sponsored by Northwest Arkansas Writing Project for over 20 years. Northwest Arkansas Writing Project is a professional organization focused on improving writing in area schools. As one of about 200 National Writing Project sites, it provides professional development for educators and directly reaches young writers through summer camps and other activities. For more information about writing project events, contact Vicki Collet at collet@uark.edu or visit nwawp.uark.edu/.