Opportunity Guide I Summer, Enrichment & Activities Guide

Developing as a writer requires writing a lot. There are opportunities available to encourage and motivate young writers and help them develop their craft.  If writing poems, plays and stories excites your child, encourage her submit her writing for publication in a school or special interest magazine. There are more than a few online literary and writing magazines that publish writing by and for children and teens.

For a child that likes competitions, many historical organizations and various nonprofits (e.g., environmental groups) sponsor annual themed writing contests for children in various age/grade categories. For an older child who wants to improve and enhance her skills, there are specialized summer writing workshops and intensives that offer focused concentrations (e.g., science fiction, screenwriting, novel writing) and provide an opportunity for peer review.



  1. Founded in 2002 by internationally acclaimed author Dave Eggers and award-winning educator Nínive Calegari, 826 Valencia inspired a network of creative writing and tutoring centers now eight cities… Read more
  2. Alfred University welcomes high school students to our beautiful campus each year to take part in this popular co-ed, overnight summer camp. The emphasis is on having fun and enjoying our beautiful… Read more
  3. Columbia University offers several summer programs for high school students, both in its home city of New York City, but also in foreign countries as well. For students that will be in New York, they… Read more
  4. The Cooper Union Summer Art Intensive helps high school students prepare a portfolio for college applications, worthy of top undergraduate programs. Participants choose a two-day studio concentration… Read more
  5. The Cornell University Summer Session traces its roots to summer courses in geology, zoology, and entomology that were presented in the late 1870s. The University offered these courses in the summer… Read more
  6. Summer courses for middle and high school students located on the Hofstra campus. Camp programs may include: journalism, foreign languages, sports broadcasting, math, diversity and writing.
  7. The Ithaca Writers Institute, a noncredit summer program for high school students, offers two weeks of intensive writing workshops on the campus of Ithaca College in the Finger Lakes region of… Read more
  8. 6-Week, 1-Week, & Everything In Between NYU’s varied array of high school programs offer flexibility and options that can be tailored to your individual needs and schedule. Most programs are… Read more
  9. Pratt PreCollege programs provide high school students with rigorous college level art, design and creative thinking courses, modeled after Pratt Institute’s undergraduate offerings. Classes are… Read more
  10. Summer students connect their passions with the wider world and see firsthand how their endeavors improve our community. They work closely with top-notch professors, getting real-time feedback,… Read more
  11. The Young Artists and Writers Project (formerly the Young American Writers Project) is dedicated to mentoring middle and high school students in the development of creative expression and critical… Read more
  12. For over 50 years, Syracuse University Summer College has been giving high school students the opportunity to learn about potential careers and college majors through its renowned pre-college program… Read more
  13. At the University of Rochester, students pursue only what they’re interested in. With Rochester’s Pre-College Programs, high school students get that same freedom. Students make significant… Read more
  14. Writopia Lab is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in New York City in April of 2007. Writopia runs creative writing workshops for kids ages 6 to 18. All of the workshops have a maximum of… Read more