Summer 2026
Fresh Mouth: Confidence Through Comedy
This Journey transforms your unique observations and “wild and wacky” thoughts into a structured comedy set. Through bi-weekly Journey Meetings and personalized coaching, you will explore the mechanics of humor, moving from a raw premise to a polished delivery. You will learn to find the funny in the everyday while building the stage presence and confidence necessary to share your voice. The experience concludes in a live showcase alongside peers and professional comedians, where you will debut your original material and celebrate the power of humor as a tool for connection and self-expression.
Journey Teaching Artist
Ready to Apply?
Check with your parents or guardians, learn more below, and get started now. If you do not already have a Girls Write Now Portal account, you will be asked to create one in order to apply.
Apply Now
Ready to Apply?
Check with your parents or guardians, learn more below, and get started now. If you do not already have a Girls Write Now Portal account, you will be asked to create one in order to apply.
- JOURNEY REQUIREMENTS
- Cycle(s) 1 Cycle (July 1st to September 30th)
- Time Commitment A minimum 3 hours per month (4-5 hours strongly recommended!)
- Journey Meetings Attend monthly Journey meetings. See dates listed below.
- Mentoring Have a minimum of two one-hour pair sessions per month.
- Journey Project Prepare a comedy set and participate in a stand-up comedy show.
- Age Range for Mentees 10-13
- Mentee Journey Fee $1500 or $1200 for applications received by April 6
Learning Objectives
Fresh Mouth: Confidence Through Comedy Community Experiences
Participants are required to attend two Journey Live Meetings each month throughout the cycle. Additionally, they can schedule 1:1 office hours with the Journey Teaching Artist for individual assistance as needed.
This journey concludes with a Stand-Up Comedy Show, where participants perform their sets for a live audience.
Summer Cycle Journey Meetings:
- Wednesday, July 8, 6 – 7:30 PM ET
- Wednesday, July 22, 6 – 7:30 PM ET
- Wednesday, August 5, 6 – 7:30 PM ET
- Wednesday, August 19, 6 – 7:30 PM ET
- Wednesday, September 2, 6 – 7:30 PM ET
- Wednesday, September 16, 6 – 7:30 PM ET
Showcase
- Saturday, September 26, 2026, 4 – 6 PM ET
If you’re unable to attend a Journey meeting, please notify your Staff Lead in advance.
Fresh Mouth: Confidence Through Comedy Course
Finding Your Funny: An Intro Stand-Up Comedy
This accompanying course teaches the fundamentals of joke writing, comedic structure, and crafting punchlines. You’ll explore how to develop your unique comedic voice, shape personal stories into tight sets, and experiment with timing, rhythm, and delivery. By the end of the course, you’ll have polished original material and the confidence to perform it for a live audience.
Fresh Mouth: Confidence Through Comedy Mentoring
Mentees and mentors in this Journey will be matched for one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least two hour-long sessions each month.
Lead 360
All journeys within the Lead 360 Adventure emphasize leadership, aiming to help mentees and mentors develop their leadership skills and work together to create a better future. Explore the other Adventures offered at Girls Write Now below to learn more.
Fresh Mouth: Confidence Through Comedy is a Journey in the Lead 360 & Performance 360 Adventures.
A Word from Teaching Artist Hollie Harper
Explore All Journeys
Explore All Journeys
Lead Community Change (Part 2) (Spring 2027)
Lead Community Change is a dynamic two-cycle Journey that harnesses the transformative power of storytelling to drive social impact. Aspiring young leaders and activists will unleash their creativity to develop and implement innovative community-based social activism projects, supported by GWN’s rich storytelling resources.
Indigenous Poetry (Spring 2027)
Explore the rich traditions and contemporary voices of Indigenous poetry. Mentees and mentors will read and discuss poems by Indigenous poets that reflect identity, culture, land, community, resilience, and storytelling. Alongside close reading, participants will write original poems inspired by these works, experimenting with imagery, voice, form, and personal expression. Through discussion and creative practice, they will explore how poetry can honor heritage, preserve stories, and illuminate both personal and collective experiences. Mentees and mentors will take away a deeper appreciation of Indigenous poetic traditions, strengthened creative writing skills, and a greater understanding of poetry as a tool for connection and expression.
Journalism: The Art of Profile Writing (Spring 2027)
Every person has a story to tell, and profile writing offers a way to share those stories with the world. In this Journey, mentees and mentors will learn how to build trust with subjects, conduct respectful interviews, and maintain the writer’s role as observer rather than confidante. The Journey emphasizes a holistic approach that considers subject, writer, and reader.
AI & Technology: Protopian Futures (Spring 2027)
This Journey explores the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies through a protopian lens—focusing on how innovation can be intentionally shaped toward more equitable, creative, and human-centered futures. Mentees and mentors will examine the possibilities and limitations of AI, engaging in discussions and hands-on explorations that highlight both current applications and future potential. Through critical reflection and creative experimentation, mentees and mentors will consider how technology can be designed and used to expand opportunity, deepen connection, and support more just and imaginative ways of living and creating. Mentees and mentors will strengthen their critical understanding of AI and emerging technologies while deepening their perspective on ethical innovation and human-centered tech practices.
Explore Tour (Spring 2027)
Explore Girls Write Now’s creative and storytelling pathways through a multimedia, multi-genre experience featuring mini courses, exploratory studios, and one-to-one pair sessions. Develop skills across fiction, journalism, publishing, video, podcasting, visual storytelling, and more.
Independent Study (Spring 2027)
Create your own experience with our Independent Study Journey. Mentees and mentors meet as a pair, attend events of interest, and use coursework to support creative projects and personal goals. Along the way, you can connect with others during a mid-cycle mixer designed to spark inspiration, share ideas, and build community. The Journey culminates in a showcase where participants present the work they have developed throughout the cycle and celebrate their accomplishments together. Mentees and mentors will benefit by gaining greater independence in their learning, deepening their creative practice, and building meaningful connections while pursuing self-directed goals.
Teach GWN (Spring 2027)
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. Mentees and mentors will gain valuable skills in leadership, teaching, and community building. Mentees and mentors can facilitate a Community Studio either independently (if they are 18 or older) or together as a pair.
Everything Is a Story: Nonfiction that Reads like Fiction (Fall 2026)
In this Journey, mentees and mentors will explore the ways in which creative storytelling techniques can be applied to nonfiction writing of all kinds, from memoir and personal essay to op-ed and how-to articles. We will dive into what makes a story—from structural archetypes to writing that flows—and learn how to harness the power of story to make nonfiction compelling and transformative.
Wild Ideas: Nature, Science & Creativity (Fall 2026)
Created in honor of Helen Ghiradella’s pioneering work at the intersection of science and creativity, this Journey invites mentees and mentors to explore the natural world through the complementary lenses of scientific inquiry and artistic expression. Inspired by Ghiradella’s legacy, and through close observation, research, and reflection, they will investigate the forms, patterns, and processes found in nature while creating an original project—through writing, visual art, media, performance, music or another creative form—that celebrates the connections between nature, science, and creativity.
The Career Journey: Inside Book Publishing (Fall 2026)
Discover the various roles in publishing that bring books to life, from editorial and design to marketing, publicity, production, and more. Through conversations with publishing house and literary agency professionals, participants will gain insight into the nuts and bolts of a book's journey from concept to publication.
