Spring 2025
Careers for Creatives: Unexpected Opportunities
The Careers for Creatives: Unexpected Opportunities Journey is perfect for mentees and mentors who are looking to turn their passion for storytelling, content creation, or journalism into a career. Through a dynamic online course, mentoring sessions, and live networking events, you will explore various career paths available to writers today, learn practical skills to help you succeed, and discover how to build a sustainable career that aligns with your interests and strengths. Discover career paths in finance, technology, corporate communications, publishing and more!
Learning Objectives
Apply to Join
Deadline: January 15, 2025
As a mentee or mentor in the Careers for Creatives: Unexpected Opportunities Journey, you’ll have access to an online course designed to help you learn skills to bring into interviews and networking situations. You’ll be paired with a mentee or mentor for one full cycle, and you’ll meet with them at least once each month. You’ll attend at least one community engagement experience a month and are encouraged to attend monthly Career Chats in which you will meet with professionals from a variety of industries.
- Cycle(s) Spring 2025
- Time 3 hours per month
- Areas of Focus Career Development, Networking
- Requirement Attend at least one Career Chat per month
- Available Spots Per Cycle 20
Careers for Creatives: Unexpected Opportunities Course
Through a combination of lectures, industry insights, practical exercises, and interviews with professionals in non-traditional writing fields, learn how to apply your writing skills to a variety of emerging and unconventional careers. You’ll also gain a deeper understanding of how to adapt your writing style for different mediums, develop a tailored portfolio, and market yourself in industries you might not have thought were open to writers.
Careers for Creatives: Unexpected Opportunities Mentoring
Mentees and mentors in the Careers for Creatives Journey will be matched for one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least one hour-long session each month.
Careers for Creatives: Unexpected Opportunities Community Experiences
Mentees and mentors in the Careers for Creatives Journey must attend at least one Community Experience per month. They are encouraged to attend the following monthly Career Chats:
- March 11, 2025: 4:45-6 pm ET
- April 8, 2025: 4:45-6 pm ET
- May 6, 2025: 4:45-6 pm ET
Career 360 Adventure
The Careers for Creatives: Unexpected Opportunities Journey is a part of the Career 360 Adventure.
Journeys in the Career 360 Adventure focus on finding and keeping employment that fuels and inspires. It is perfect for mentees and mentors who are looking for a new job or want to make the most of their current role.
Find Your Journey
Find Your Journey
Book Club: Page to Stage (Fall 2025)
This Journey invites mentees and mentors to explore classic and contemporary literature through both reading and performance. Participants will read three books and then experience them brought to life through dynamic solo stage adaptations in partnership with Literature to Life (LTL).
Independent Study (Fall 2025)
Create your own experience with our Independent Study Journey. Meet as a pair, attend events of interest, and use coursework to help you plan creative projects and meet your goals.
Teach GWN (Fall 2025)
In this Journey, Members of the GWN community will develop curriculum and facilitate a community studio for one or more cycles within GWN’s 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.
The Power of Punchlines: Stand-Up Comedy for Change (Fall 2025-Spring 2026)
In this two-Cycle Journey, participants will explore the power of comedy as a tool for social change, with a special focus on stand-up comedy. From climate change and economic inequality to LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, and mental health, you’ll learn how to write and perform material that blends humor with meaningful social critique. Comedy is a form of intelligence—whether you’re new to comedy or a seasoned performer, this journey will help you use humor as a force for social impact.
The Lead Incubator (Fall 2025-Spring 2025)
The Lead Incubator is a crucial extension of the Lead Community Change Journey, offering Mentees the space, resources, and support needed to implement their project plans and drive meaningful change in their communities. It acts as a dynamic platform where they can turn their ideas into action. Mentees participating in the Lead Incubator focus on advancing their community-based social activism projects with the support of their mentors and Girls Write Now’s resources.
Explore Tour (Fall 2025)
Explore the creative and storytelling pathways Girls Write Now offers through a multimedia, multi-genre experience with mini courses, exploratory studios, and one-on-one pair sessions. Build new skills and deepen existing ones across fiction, journalism, publishing, and formats like video, podcasting, and visual storytelling. Ideal for mentees working across media or focused on specific projects, this Journey offers the flexibility to tailor your learning experience to your goals.
Social Media & Marketing (Summer 2025)
This Journey is designed for mentees and mentors who want to understand the power of social media and how to use it effectively to grow an audience, promote their work, and build a personal or professional brand. From crafting engaging posts to creating a consistent online presence, this course covers the essential strategies and tools needed to thrive in the world of digital marketing.
Book Club: Summer Read (Summer 2025)
Book lovers, unite! Each cycle, we’ll close read three new books and discuss them at monthly fixed meetings. When you apply, you can recommend a book that might be chosen for the journey! We’ll focus, in particular, on reading as writers and taking note of the ways each author crafts their story.
College & MFA Preparation (Summer 2025)
Preparing an application for college or graduate school can be a daunting experience. Join us for a Journey that unpacks everything you need to know about finding college and graduate school programs, applying to school, preparing personal essays, and getting the most out of your college or graduate school experience.
Teleplays: Writing for TV (Summer 2025)
The Teleplays: Writing for TV Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work as a writer in today’s TV industry. This Journey provides insight into the work of a scriptwriter – a deep understanding of TV storytelling and professional scripts, drama vs comedy scripts, professional working practices, and employment strategies. Specific topics range from story structure and formatting scripts to actually seeing a script to fruition.
