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Spring Break Young Writers' Camps

$99.95 CAD

Join us during spring break for a day camp for young writers, live at the Highlands United Church in Edmonton or online!

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Registration is NOW CLOSED!

YouthWrite Spring Break Young Writers' Camps:


SPRING BREAK YOUNG WRITERS' CAMPS!
MARCH 25th - 26th: GRADES 4-6 - REGISTRATION CLOSED!

Work on amazing art with Spyder Yardley-Jones, and whimsical worldbuilding with Mason Repka!


MARCH 27th - 28th: GRADES 6-9 
REGISTRATION CLOSED!

Work on amazing art with Spyder Yardley-Jones, and fabulous fiction with Natasha Deen!


ONLINE MARCH 25th-28th: Ages 10+
REGISTRATION CLOSED!

Work with Marty Chan via Zoom. 

Highlands United Church, 11305 64 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5W 4H6
8:30am - 3:30pm
After-program care ($10) 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm for in-person only

- $99.95 for either two-day, in-person camp
($10.00 additional for after- program supervision)

ONLINE via Zoom
9:00am-11:00am(MST) for Ages 10+

- $59.95 for either two-day, online camp (Monday-Tuesday or Wednesday -Thursday)

- $89.95 for any three days online

- $109.95 for all four days (best value!)

Registration closes Friday, March 22nd at 7pm!

Keep scrolling down for more Instructor Bios and Class Descriptions!

Please note

All fees include a $40 non-refundable fee. No refunds will be made if registration is cancelled after March 18, 2024. YouthWrite Society Canada reserves the right to cancel courses and restrict enrollment. Courses, instructors and supervisors may be subject to change.





Meet your amazing instructors:

                                                                                                                     



Kevin Sylvester


Bio

Kevin Sylvester has written and illustrated more than thirty books for kids. His latest novel Night of the Living Zed, written with his kid, Basil, is the sequel to The Fabulous Zed Watson! Also co-written with his kid Basil, it was a finalist for numerous awards, including the TD and the Governor General’s. Kevin’s other novels range from science fiction (The MINRs trilogy, Apartment 713) to mystery novels (The Neil Flambé Capers), and other super-heroes (Mucus Mayhem). His picture books include Gargantua (Jr.): Defender of Earth, Super-Duper Monster, GREAT and Splinters, and he also writes and illustrates non-fiction books.



Marty Chan

Instructor - MARCH 25-28th: Online! Ages 10+


Bio

Marty writes books for kids, plays for adults, and tweets for fun. His Orca thriller novel, THE HAUNTED HOSPITAL, is a bestseller and has gone into second printing. He works and lives in Edmonton with his wife Michelle


Courses

Monday - Creepypasta Night: Love scary stories and urban legends? Create your own creepypasta with tips from Marty Chan, author of Haunted Hospital and Willpower. Marty will share his techniques to frighten readers and keep them on the edge of their seats from the first page to the last.
Tuesday - Cheat Code for Conflict: In this fun and interactive workshop, author Marty Chan shares his simple strategy to create conflict in a story. With his cheat code, you can turn any situation into a dramatic one. He’ll reveal how to raise the stakes for your character and he’ll talk about the different types of conflict that will make your story exciting.
Wednesday - Dynamic Dialogue: Do you enjoy putting words in other people’s mouths? Playwright Marty Chan shares the secrets to writing character conversation that flows naturally. He’ll reveal how to make each character’s voice sound unique and interesting. This session will help authors who like to use dialogue in their stories and playwrights who want to craft stage plays.
Thursday - Heroes Assembled (With special guest Kevin Sylvester): Learn how to brainstorm your own superhero character, complete with powers and a secret identity they have to protect. Author Marty Chan, breaks down the key elements of any good superhero story: the hero, the villain, the world, and the mission. Your story will fly after you apply the lessons in this workshop.





Natasha Deen

Instructor - MARCH 27-28: Grades 6-9


Bio

Guyanese-Canadian Natasha Deen is a best-selling author and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. Natasha’s novels include In the Key of Nira Ghani (Amy Mather Teen Book Award), Spooky Sleuths: The Ghost Tree (School Library Journal Best Books of 2022). Her most recent YA title, The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad was a Globe & Mail's Top 100 Books for 2022. When she’s not writing, she teaches Introduction to Children’s Writing with the University of Toronto’s SCS and spends an inordinate amount of time trying to convince her pets that she’s the boss of the house. Visit Natasha at www.natashadeen.com.


Course

ONCE UPON A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT…

Are the whispers of a character keeping you up at night? Do you fictional friends wake you early in the morning with scenes and story ideas? DON’T THEY KNOW YOU NEEED TO SLEEP?! Join Natasha and learn the ins and out for creating a story full of cracking characters, dashing dialogue, punchy plots, and wonderful world-building that will keep your readers up until the early hours (and maybe let you get some Zzzzzs!).




Mason Repka

Instructor - MARCH 25-26: Grades 4-6


Bio

Mason is a storyteller at heart, and has Studied English and Creative Writing at MacEwan University and the University of Victoria. Their dream job is to be a wizard, sending daring and unwitting heroes towards life-changing adventure. Mason is the director and founder of Dark Ascension LARP, and works as a professional Game Master, guiding players through the realms of table-top and live-action roleplaying. Mason is also a Registered Massage Therapist, and works at YouthWrite as a Communications Manager, Supervisor, and Instructor. They are so excited to be leading you on a table-top adventure this spring!


Course

Wonderous Worldbuilding - Join Mason on a world building adventure where we create the story together from the ground up, including the setting, the villains and conflicts, and of course, the protagonists. We will build a world together and then collaboratively create and play out the plot of the story using table-top and live-action roleplay mechanics as our guide. Focus on the basics of connecting setting, conflict, and characters as we build the narrative of our world together, and practice the fundamentals of collaborative storytelling! 




Spyder Yardley-Jones

Instructor - MARCH 25-26: Grades 4-6


Bio

Spyder Yardley-Jones is an award-winning, international illustrator, cartoonist and visual artist. His artistic abilities are not limited to the 2D world. Spyder takes his characters and transforms them into sculptures and detailed dioramas. He's been teaching art to youth in the Edmonton school system and at YouthWrite for 27 years.


Course

It's a Cover Up! Each camper will pick a comic book theme (e.g., superhero/villain, sci-fi,  fantasy, horror, etc.) and design and draw the front and back cover of a made-up comic book. But of course there's a twist to this project...sign up and find out!


The Amazing Supers

Handpicked and multi-talented, YouthWrite Supers are the centre of our camps. As artists, teachers and mentors, they bring the X-Factor to YouthWrite.


MORE SUPERS TBA SOON!

SUPER Elise Leske 


Elise Leske is a past YouthWriter who now dabbles in comedy, camerawork, and crossword puzzles.  When she’s not on set or doing stand up, she likes painting and crushing her opponents in board games (she often loses).  She is also Gail’s favourite. 




SUPER Joey Lucius   


Joey Lucius is Rapid Fire Theatre’s Academy Director and resident cutie-pie. He has worked for all of your fav institutions: Edmonton Public Schools, the University of Alberta, and McDonalds. He’s a contributor to the online Beaverton, a Canadian Comedy Award winner, and an RFT stalwart for over 15 years. Joey is a sneaker head AND a birder (classic combo). He's also in love with YouthWrite and is Gail's favorite. 




Communications Manager Tania Gigliotti  


Tania is a powerhouse administrator, amazing client services manager, excel wizard, and an adorable little hobbit. She spends her spare time researching youth engagement in living history museums for the Young People are the Future project, as well as reading a lot of good books and eating a lot of good food. She's also Gail's favorite. 



Meet Your Coordinator


YouthWrite Director-Coordinator

Gail Sidonie Sobat 


is a multi-award-winning teacher and author, with twelve books for children, teens and adults, and a number of educational and academic articles. A Global News Woman of Vision and an Arts and Culture Citation Award recipient, she is the YouthWrite creator/coordinator, an international presenter, an instructor in the professional writing program at MacEwan University and in the Faculty of Education at U of A. Gail was The Writers’ Union of Canada Regional Representative for Alberta, NWT and Nunavut, and writer in residence with the Metro Edmonton Federation of Libraries

She has moved forty times in her life from Badlands to Siksika Nation Reserve to hideous suburbs to Istanbul to the Sunshine Coast to her writer’s garret in a century-old temperamental house. She adores all of her Supers & Coordinators equally, and loves YouthWrite like a Madwoman!