hayfestival.org
HAY FESTIVAL EDUCATION
AUTHOR JENNY VALENTINE URGES STUDENTS AND TEACHERS TO EXPLORE THE WEALTH OF FREE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE THROUGH HAY FESTIVAL “Best school trip I’ve ever been on.” “Can you believe that David Almond read some of my own writing?” “At the start of the week I was quiet and shy, wary and unwilling to talk in front of people and share my ideas. I have now interviewed an author, asked questions in front of an audience and talked at length with the likes of Owen Sheers and Jenny Valentine.” Harry Tong, Beacons Project, 2018
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took part in our Programme for Schools in 2018 and every year there is something for everyone – mathematicians and scientists, artists and activists, journalists and performers as well as poets and storytellers. This year, the list includes Ade Adepitan, David Baddiel, Cressida Cowell, Harry Hill, Michael Rosen and Sarah Crossan, Chitra Soundar, The Guardian Foundation NewsWise Team and comedian Mae Martin. The Programme for Schools and the Scribblers Tour cost schools nothing, so teachers are urged to sign up and take part. And if you can’t make it, the Programme for Schools can be live-streamed into your classroom so you don’t miss a thing.
uring my time as Hay Festival Creative Wales International Fellow 2017-2018, I met and talked with hundreds of young people at Hay Festivals worldwide, and since then I have continued to work closely with the education team, who are dedicated to including, inspiring and empowering our growing youth audience. On the Hay Festival Scribblers Tour this year, we took writers to meet school students at events in five universities across Wales. In between the interactive workshops, author talks and campus tours, we spoke about the many things that Hay Festival does specifically for young people, how you can access and enjoy what Hay has to offer, and all the different ways to get involved. Before the Festival officially opens to the public, primary and secondary pupils have a whole day each to enjoy a carefully curated programme of authors and speakers. More than 8,000 students
If you are aged 16-18, you can apply for a place on the Hay Festival Beacons Project. This is a four-day immersive writing residency (food, accommodation, event tickets and some travel costs are included). The project offers you contact with professional writers and journalists through events and workshops, a chance to develop your own writing and to share it with peers and published authors, as well as opportunities to blog on the Hay Festival website about your experiences and achievements. This is a great way to make contact with other young writers and the wider world of literature and the arts. Former Beacons Project members stay in touch and really are like a family, keeping in contact as students finish school and begin their further and higher education. They also form the backbone of the Hay Festival Youth Council, established last year after a particularly brilliant panel discussion – a growing team of young experts whom we consult on everything from gaming to gender politics to event design. Together we have developed Compass, our
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