Hello! Welcome to Teach GWN.
In this journey, members of the GWN community will develop curriculum and facilitate a community studio for one or more cycles within the Collaboratory structure. Each cycle involves facilitating three community studios, one per month. Participants will gain valuable skills in leadership, teaching, and community building. Mentees and mentors can facilitate a community studio either solo (if they are 18 or older) or together as a pair.
Prerequisite:
- Be a GWN Mentor, Mentee, or Member (alum)
- Be at least 18 years old, or if under 18, teach while accompanied by your mentor
- Have sufficient knowledge of the topic you will cover in your community studio
Learning Objectives
- Develop Curriculum Design Skills: Create and organize educational materials and activities tailored to the needs of your community studio participants.
- Enhance Facilitation Techniques: Master strategies for effectively leading and engaging participants during community studio sessions.
- Strengthen Leadership Abilities: Cultivate essential leadership qualities to guide and inspire both studio participants and fellow facilitators.
- Build Community Engagement: Foster a collaborative and supportive environment that encourages active participation and learning among community members.
- Apply Knowledge in Practice: Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the subject matter by effectively teaching and addressing questions or challenges during community studio sessions.
Requirements
- Have at least 2 pair sessions per month
- Attend Orientation and Facilitator Meet-Up Sessions
- Attend at least one Office Hours Session with Staff Lead
- Complete Coursework
- Create monthly Community Studio Lesson Plan
- Facilitate Three Community Studios per Cycle (1 studio/month)
- Attend Two Community Studios of a Fellow Facilitator and Provide Feedback for 1
Asynchronous Coursework
Complete each lesson in this course. As you progress through each lesson, make sure to press complete before moving on to the next.
- Teach GWN: Facilitating Community Studios
This course provides training in the techniques and best practices for leading and managing community studio sessions. It focuses on creating engaging and productive environments that support learning and collaboration among participants.
Besides this course, please also use the following courses that are accessible to you as resources.
- GWN Toolkit: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging
- GWN Toolkit: Mentoring Best Practices
Live Events
Mentees and mentors in the Teach GWN Journey are required to teach three community studios per cycle, attend one training session and one facilitator meetup session. Additionally, participants are asked to attend two community studios led by their fellow facilitators. The weekday, time, and exact dates for your facilitated studio sessions will be determined based on your schedule before the journey begins.
Please see below for the live virtual meeting dates for the GWN Teaching Journey’s 2025 Fall Cycle:
- Teach GWN Orientation: Tuesday, 10/14/2025, 7 pm ET
- Facilitator Meet-up: Tuesday, 1/6/2026, 7 pm ET
- November Studio Period: 11/10 – 11/25
- December Studio Period: 12/8 – 12/19
- January Studio Period: 1/12 – 1/26
Submissions
Please note: If your lesson plan is not handed in on time, we cannot set it up for registration and your studio will be cancelled.
Fall Cycle:
- Studio Lesson Plan #1: Friday, October 24
- Studio Lesson Plan #2: Monday, November 24
- Studio Lesson Plan #3: Tuesday, December 23
We are currently reviewing and refining our Community Studio lesson plans in preparation for inclusion in the new Lesson Plan Search Database, which is being developed by our Intersectional Voices (IV) Teach Committee.
Lesson plans created by current facilitators will also be added to this database. Facilitators may be contacted to collaborate in refining lessons (if needed) prior to publication, and all facilitators will be fully credited for their contributions.
To learn more about the IV Teach Committee’s work, the role your lesson plans play, and how you can get involved, please visit: https://girlswritenow.org/iv-teach/
Submit Feedback for Your Fellow Facilitators:
Participants who are primarily in the Teach GWN Journey (meaning you are not participating in any other Journey) are required to attend at least 2 studios of your fellow facilitators and provide written feedback for at least 1.
Please submit this written feedback using the Event Attendee Survey distributed at the end of studio sessions.
