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.
Girls Write Now Collaboratory
This Journey is Closed, but You Can Pre-Enroll in a Spring 2027 Journey Now!
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
STARS: Crafting White Papers for Change (Spring 2026)
In this Journey, Fellows from STARS CGI partner organizations engage in a youth-led writing and advocacy experience that empowers them to turn their experiences into policy-focused narratives. Through in-person and virtual sessions, participants learn to research, write, and collaborate on a White Paper that amplifies youth voices across New York City and advocates for increased support, funding, and policy improvements for youth programs. The Journey builds communication, leadership, and advocacy skills, culminating in a youth-authored White Paper presented to a City Council Member as a public call to action.
Inimitable Voices in the Age of AI (Spring 2026)
AI can replicate form, but not the glorious quirks of you. Together, we’ll explore the tenets of human inimitability—Play, Empathy, Friction, Serendipity, Physicality—and explore AI tools that amplify (not blur) your unique voice. That wonderful, specific, spiky point of view that each of us has—and that the world needs now more than ever.
Thousand Voices Book Club (Spring 2026)
In partnership with the Thousand Voices imprint, this Journey invites mentors and mentees to explore contemporary literature. Participants will close-read three books and discuss them at monthly Journey Meetings. We’ll focus, in particular, on reading as writers and taking note of the ways each author crafts their story.
Sharpening Your Inimitable Voice in the Age of AI (Fall 2025)
AI can replicate form, but not the glorious quirks of you. Together, we’ll explore the tenets of human inimitability—Play, Empathy, Friction, Serendipity, Physicality—and explore AI tools that amplify (not blur) your unique voice. That wonderful, specific, spiky point of view that each of us has—and that the world needs now more than ever.
Storytelling Across Languages and Cultures (Fall 2025)
This Journey invites multilingual storytellers—and those curious about language, identity, and culture—to explore how the languages we speak and the communities we come from shape our stories. Through writing, discussion, and creative expression, participants will examine the connections between language, culture, and self. The Journey celebrates multilingual voices and empowers participants to honor their perspectives and grow as confident storytellers across cultures.
Perspectives on Media (Fall 2025)
The Perspectives on Media Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work in today’s media ecosystem. It provides insight from media professionals in a variety of fields such as sports journalism, broadcast journalism, true crime podcasting, and more! Participants will also learn how to develop a pitch for a media project of their choice.
Hooked on Fiction: Crafting Your First Chapter (Fall 2025)
In this fiction Journey, our curriculum will focus on opening chapters. The first pages of a novel are some of the most daunting for many writers. There's so much to establish in very few pages—the ones your future readers will flip through to decide if they should keep reading. In this journey, we'll deep dive into the varied ingredients that make a compelling first chapter. We'll examine how to use your limited space to build motivated well-rounded characters, craft palpable stakes, establish a fully-realized setting, create a killer hook, and so much more. We'll tackle big questions, like how to know if you are starting in the right place and how to get all this information onto the page without overwhelming your readers. Whether you're starting a story from scratch or already editing a draft of your novel, join us to develop some impactful opening pages.
Wicked Stagewriting: From Plays to Musicals (Fall 2025)
The Writing for the Stage: From Plays to Musicals Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work as a writer in today’s theatre industry. This Journey provides insight into the work of a playwright – a deep understanding of live storytelling and professional scripts, plays vs musicals, professional working practices, and employment strategies. We will look to popular musicals such as Wicked for inspiration in creating original pieces. Specific topics range from story structure and formatting scripts to actually seeing a script to fruition.
Civil Discourse: Connection & Persuasion (Fall 2025)
In this one-Cycle Journey, Mentees will develop essential skills in public speaking, argumentation, and critical thinking. Through engaging activities and interactive discussions, participants will learn to craft persuasive speeches, construct well-reasoned arguments, and present their ideas with confidence. They will explore techniques for effective communication, refine their ability to think critically under pressure, and practice responding to diverse perspectives in a structured setting.
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).