Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
Perspectives on Public Policy
The Perspectives on Public Policy Journey offers a comprehensive overview of public policy and its role in addressing societal challenges with a focus on inequalities, public policy frameworks, design, analysis, and justification.
Girls Write Now Collaboratory
This Journey Is Closed, but You Can Pre-Enroll in a Fall 2026 Journey Now!
Learning Objectives
Apply to Join
Deadline: January 15, 2025
As a mentee or mentor in the Perspectives on Public Policy Journey, you’ll have access to an online course designed to help you learn about public policy’s role in addressing societal challenges. You’ll be paired with a mentee or mentor for one full cycle, and you’ll meet with them at least twice each month. You’ll attend at least one community engagement experience a month.
- Cycle(s) Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
- Time 3 hours per month
- Areas of Focus Activism, Civics, Politics
- Requirement Write and produce an Advocacy Short
- Available Spots Per Cycle 20
Perspectives on Public Policy Courses
Public Policy and Advocacy Shorts
In this course, you’ll learn about public policy frameworks, design, analysis and Implementation. You’ll explore the foundations of federal policy and how contemporary changes have impacted government, and you’ll discuss the impact of social movements on government and vice versa.
Perspectives on Public Policy Mentoring
As a mentee or mentor in the Perspectives on Public Policy Journey, you’ll be paired with a mentee or mentor for two full cycle, and you’ll meet with them at least twice each month.
Perspectives on Public Policy Community Experiences
Mentees and mentors in the Perspectives on Public Policy Journey are required to attend monthly meetings. Additionally, they attend one community engagement per month, such as a Community Studios, College & Career Chats, Salon Experiences, and Affinity Group Meetings.
- October 16, 6pm ET Orientation
- December 14, 12-1:30pm ET Journey Meeting
- January 25, 12-1:30pm ET Journey Meeting
- March 15, 12-1:30pm ET Journey Meeting
- April 26, 12-1:30pm ET Journey Meeting
- May 3, 12-1:30pm ET Journey Meeting
Public Policy 360 Adventure
Investigative Podcasts is a Journey in the Journalism 360, Multimedia, and Public Policy Adventures.
The Public Policy Journey is a part of the Public Policy 360 Adventure.
Journeys in the Public Policy 360 Adventure focus on the ways that writing and creating can impact public policy. It is designed for those who want to learn more about how to make change in technology, reproductive health, climate change and more. Learn more about the other Adventures offered at Girls Write Now below.
Find Your Journey
Find Your Journey
Teach GWN (Fall 2026)
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.
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.
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.
Screenwriting: Crafting Short Film Stories (Spring 2027)
This two-cycle Journey guides participants from crafting a short film script to bringing it to life on screen. In the first cycle, mentors and mentees focus on developing compelling stories, dynamic characters, and engaging dialogue, learning the essentials of screenwriting for short films. In the second cycle, participants move from script to screen, exploring the practical aspects of video production, including planning, collaboration, and bringing their creative vision to life. By the end of the journey, mentees will have both a polished script and hands-on experience in producing their own short film.
Life Lines: Crafting Memoir (Part 1) (Spring 2027)
In this three-cycle Journey, writers will get the support and expert industry insight they need to write their memoir. In the first three-month cycle, participants will outline, structure their book, and begin their first drafts; in the second three-month cycle, participants will write and workshop their drafts; and in the third cycle, participants will finish their drafts and write their book proposals.
Fashion Forward: Exploring a Sustainable Future (Spring 2027)
This Journey invites participants to explore the intersection of fashion and sustainability, examining how style, ethics, and environmental responsibility can coexist.
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.
