National Writing Project Annual Meeting

“How do we find material (financial and organizational) support for our work that will sustain the core ideas of the National Writing Project?” This question seemed to be mixed into every conversation at the NWP Annual Meeting this year. Lil, Cindy and I spent a lot of time talking with other sites about how they are figuring things out given the absence of direct federal funding. In the formal sessions designed to focus on these ideas and talks with colleagues in-between, we found some answers and also more questions. There were discussions of varying models for Summer Institute. Some sites were focusing more on their youth programs; still others were connecting to community organizations with interests in writing and literacy and working with their departments of public instruction to design workshops around the Common Core Standards. Everyone seemed focused on meshing Writing Project work with initiatives that are important to schools and teachers. The UNC Charlotte Writing Project has been thinking about all of these things, too, especially since our Sustainability Institute last summer. We are excited about our work with Common Core Standards, about our new summer youth programs being sponsored by schools, and our ongoing partnership work with area schools and districts. While we did not find big answers, and it was really useful and energizing to connect with other Writing Project sites who are just as deep in this work of imagining new possibilities.

The NWP seems tenacious and eager to work with local sites to sustain our work together. If you haven’t joined NWP Connect, you should do so right away to stay abreast of all that is happening http://connect.nwp.org/national. Our site has a presence there so that we can stay in conversation together and with the national community. Also, if you haven’t already, check out our site’s work on Digital Is http://digitalis.nwp.org/. We are going to stay alive in this new terrain… and we are going to hold on to our principals even in this new terrain.