Our location provides young people with the time and space to express themselves in a structured, supportive environment away from the stressors of their everyday lives. The surrounding natural environment provides plenty of space for creation and reflection. Bedrooms are fitted to provide a comfortable place to write and rest. The sitting rooms have comfortable couches used for workshops and communal writing space.
Courses are tutored by published authors with extensive youth work experience. Many authors have visited us for schools’ courses over the years. Their creative example and expertise have a profound impact on what young people take away from the course. A full course has two tutors and a guest reader on Wednesday evening. After interacting with three successful writers during the week, young people often go away feeling inspired and confident in chasing their own writing ambitions.
Residential courses are also a great place to connect with other young people interested in writing. They learn together during morning workshops, share work and ideas, and – once during the week, with adult help – work in a team of three or four to cook dinner for everyone. These connections have time and again made the course memorable for everyone involved. Read through our FAQ for more information on that.
Each course is tailored for the group coming. Once an enquiry is received, the Moniack Mhor team will work with the organiser to decide:
- Length of the course
- Which tutors to use
- Whether or not to host a guest reader
Residential Courses for Schools
We have worked with independent schools from the UK and as far away as Canada to create high impact courses since beginning schools’ work. They always leave feeling uplifted and inspired.
Moniack Mhor also reaches out to Highland secondary schools annually by offering two 4-day residential courses. They help young people overcome geographic barriers to achieving their writing goals by bringing some of the UK’s best writers to their doorstep.
The Centre can accommodate 14 students accompanied by two teachers. The tutors are published authors with a distinguished record of creative writing tuition. The courses offer an unparalleled opportunity for young aspiring writers to work and learn together in the inspirational setting of Moniack Mhor. Schools attending in the past are loud in their praise of these courses.
The schools’ courses follow the same format as the open courses with workshops in the mornings, one-to-one tutorials in the afternoon and time for private writing. Tutors give readings in the evening and there is plenty of opportunity for discussion. The final evening gives everyone an opportunity to read from work produced during the course of the week. The centre actively encourages schools to take part in sending students to the Centre and offers reduced fees for schools.
For enquiries please contact us at youngwriters@moniackmhor.org.uk