15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
‘This is a truly unique opportunity': Young writers from NI and Caribbean team up to produce novel
The project will see 15 teenagers each from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Northern Ireland working together physically and virtually to produce the novel.
It will consist of themes close to the writers' hearts, ensuring that their voices are heard.
The novel will be published in May 2026 and will feature contributions from all three countries. It will also have a digital aspect, enhanced with animation, music, moving image and artist-designed graphics.
The project is funded by the British Council and run in partnership with the charity Fighting Words, located at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast, as well as the Jamaica Book Festival.
Aoife Osborne, operations and programme coordinator at Fighting Words NI, said the project is aimed at celebrating 'everything that is magical and empowering about youth writing'.
'At Fighting Words NI, our mission is to unlock the joy and power of creative writing for children and young people,' she added.
'[This project] will support young writers from across NI to create, collaborate and connect on an international level.
'It is a truly unique opportunity for young writers in NI to open new doors and share their stories, experiences and perspectives.'
Fighting Words NI is dedicated to empowering people aged 6-18 through creative writing.
Since 2015, Fighting Words NI has reached more than 24,000 young people across the country, providing them with opportunities to write their own stories and share their voices with the world.
Those taking part in the project will be selected through Fighting Words NI's Write Club; similar selection programmes will run in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
The project will also feature contributions from established creatives across the three countries, including authors, illustrators, musicians and digital artists, who will act as mentors and facilitators throughout the year.
British Council director Jonathan Stewart said: 'It's wonderful to see this youth-led arts project bring together a shared love of storytelling from NI, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
'At the British Council we believe in the power of creativity to connect cultures and communities. By placing young people at the centre of this collaboration, we're nurturing talent, sparking imagination, and encouraging meaningful global dialogue.'
