GRL PWR + Creative Writing Summer Camp 2
Craving more girl power and creative writing? This weeklong summer camp offers a deeper dive as we use creative writing to explore more challenges and opportunities facing young women today.
Kellye Crocker, MFA
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(56)
What's included
5 live meetings
7 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
It's helpful to have taken my weeklong GRL PWR + Creative Writing summer camp on Outschool before enrolling in this one, but it's not required. All writing skill levels are welcome. If you have a daughter between the ages of 11 and 14, they already have all the knowledge and experience they need! In my classes, we leave perfectionism at the door so we can play on the page in a safe, nurturing environment. This learner-led approach focuses on creativity and the writing process—offering a mindset and skills that students can use throughout their lives. This class includes student discussion, games and activities, lectures, videos, readings from diverse women writers, and personal writing time. Students will need to use their critical thinking skills as we explore issues such as gender stereotypes, discrimination, body image, and women's experiences around the world. We'll use that information to inform and inspire our own writing. Students will try a variety of writing, including poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and they'll help build a community that inspires, encourages and supports each other. A word about discussions: This class celebrates girls and women, the ways we are alike and different. Some of the ideas we'll discuss may be sensitive. Students may disagree with the teacher or with each other. That is great! All I ask is that students come to class with open minds and hearts, express themselves with kindness and respect, and listen respectfully to others. Here is a brief overview of our daily themes. Please see the "Parental Guidance" section below for more specifics. Day 1: What is a feminist, and why does award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie say we should all be one? Day 2: If the Barbie doll were real. Day 3: Inspiring women—the US soccer team and gymnast Simone Biles. Day 4: Unfair school dress codes. Day 5: A Global Perspective on Women's Lives.
Learning Goals
This class will help students:
1. Define intersectional feminism.
2. Understand gender stereotypes and discrimination.
2. Think critically about texts and information.
3. Channel lived experiences into creative writing.
4. Try a variety of fiction and non-fiction writing.
5. Engage their creativity and imaginations.
6. Grow in self-awareness and self-esteem.
7. Explore empathy for people who are different from themselves.
8. Help create an inspiring, encouraging and supportive writing community.
9. Experience courage and vulnerability if they choose to share their writing with the class.
10. Give and receive positive, specific verbal feedback on writing.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
This class deals with potentially sensitive topics related to gender stereotypes and discrimination. Stereotypes are defined as generalizations, often derogatory but not always, applied to entire groups. In this class, we'll be exploring stereotypes related to gender.
On the first day, we'll discuss feminism and intersectionality. The dictionary defines feminism as supporting social, political and economic equality of the sexes. It's the idea that women and men should be treated equally. Intersectionality: Girls and women share certain challenges because of gender discrimination, but some of us face additional obstacles. For example, an African-American woman who uses a wheelchair faces challenges because she is a woman, but also because of her race and her physical abilities. Intersectional feminism honors the complexity of each individual’s life. Equality for women, therefore, also means addressing issues such as racism, ableism and other forms of discrimination.
Is it okay to wear make up if you're a feminist? Sure! Do feminists hate men and want to have power over them? No and no! What if students say they aren't feminists? That's fine! I'm curious to hear their ideas. (FYI, in order to create a safe space for everyone, opinions supporting hate or violence won't be allowed.) At the same time, I don't want the class to get bogged down in a debate over definitions. In this class, we'll discuss how the idea of feminism means celebrating every woman's uniqueness and potential for greatness. We're focusing on writing about challenges and opportunities facing young women.
On the second day, we'll look at the Barbie doll and body image. First of all, I'm not hating on Barbie! When I was a girl, I loved my Barbies. You can love something and also understand its imperfections. Students will learn statistics about Barbie's unrealistic proportions. For example, the probability of picking a random woman from the population with the same chest-to-waist ratio of a model is 1 in 4. The probability of choosing an anorexic is 1 in 18. The probability of matching Barbie, though? 1 in billions and billions (impossible). Why does this matter? Studies show that girls who play with very thin dolls have lower self-esteem, worse body image, a greater desire to be thinner, and ate significantly less than girls who played with dolls with a healthier body size. An Oregon State University study found that girls who played with Barbie thought they could do fewer “boy jobs” than girls who played with Mrs. Potato Head. (I had one in-person student tell me proudly, "I play with Barbie and Mrs. Potato Head!")
On the fourth day, we'll look at how school dress codes often discriminate against girls.
On the last day, we'll explore women's lives from a global perspective. The UN's Commission on the Status of Women says 2.5 billion girls and women are affected by discriminatory laws. For example, laws in 19 countries and territories (out of 189) require women to obey their husbands. Married women can’t leave their homes in the same way as married men in 17 countries; and in 37 countries, married women aren’t allowed to apply for a passport in the same way as married men. In more than 1 in 5 countries, inheritance laws treat daughters unfairly compared to sons.
I've taught this camp several times through Denver, Colorado's Lighthouse Writers Workshop. In 2019, we expanded it from one week to two (offering three-hour daily sessions for 10 days). Because of the tremendous response to my Outschool GRL PWR + Creative Writing summer camp, I thought I'd offer another one, diving a bit deeper--especially since I know how powerful this material can be for young women writers.
If you have any questions or concerns about this class and its appropriateness for your daughter, please don't hesitate to contact me!
Supply List
Writing supplies! Pens and pencils and plenty of paper. You can also use a tablet or computer—just make sure you're also able to participate in our class at the same time you're writing.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined April, 2020
5.0
56reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
As a professional writer for more than 30 years, I've researched these issues extensively and have taken several college classes in gender studies. I've also read widely on the topic—and I'm a woman! This camp started in 2016 as a once-a-week, in-person, after school class at Lighthouse Writers Workshop, a large literary nonprofit in Denver, Colorado. For the next two summers, I ran it as a one-week, half-day camp at Lighthouse. Last year, it expanded to two weeks. The girls who participated said the camp helped them feel better about themselves, less judgmental of other girls, and more aware of issues affecting women and girls. They also left with a stack of powerful writing.Reviews
Live Group Class
$95
for 5 classes5x per week, 1 week
90 min
Completed by 6 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
3-8 learners per class
This class is no longer offered
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