Our programmes
Five branches of the Bank.
One long journey.
We meet young people where they are; in school, after school, on weekends, on stage. Each branch is a different way for a young person to make a deposit. Together they form a journey that can begin in Year 3 and continue well into young adulthood.
3,000+
young people reached
ACROSS ALL OUR PROGRAMMES, SINCE 2021
We run a variety of workshops at The Bank of Dreams and Nightmares. Here are some examples:
Primary school
Sit at a table of four young writers in a Primary Progression workshop. Ask questions. Help them get unstuck. Celebrate what they make. Full training and safeguarding provided; no writing experience needed.
Secondary school
10-week long workshops with young people who have been failed, forgotten, or told creative expression isn’t for them. Writing Mentors play a vital role in developing writers’ confidence and skills, helping to channel pupils’ ideas and energy into their writing.
After school clubs
Bring an evening a week to The Vault (youth newspaper), The Writers’ Account (creative writing) or Podcasting Club. Sound skills welcome for Podcasting. Editorial experience welcome for The Vault.
Holiday Writing Projects - We also run projects that take place during half-term or the holidays. Young people may sign up for a project that lasts between three days to two weeks. Here, children will work together with Writing Mentors to produce a publication. An example of this could be, a local newspaper written by young people or a walking guide to the local area.
Ideally we ask you to sign up for a minimum of 6 sessions, over 6 months, but whatever you can commit to is amazing for us. We offer training sessions before any workshops are attended so you feel comfortable with our system and principles. All volunteers will be required to have an enhanced DBS check as we are working with children and young people.
We also require volunteers for other fun roles like bank managers, bank clerks, publishers and many more. So please get in touch and show your interest and we can send you more information.