Just across the hall from Descant lies the NOW HEAR THIS! office which is beginning to buzz with plans and preparations for the fourth year of our hugely successful Students, Writers and Teachers Program. In anticipation of the 2010 S.W.A.T. season, we’re on the look-out for more writers to help make a difference in the lives and in the writing of Toronto high school students. Applications to be a S.W.A.T. writer have just been released and if you’re a professional writer and would like to be considered for the position, fill it out and mail it to the NHT! office with your C.V., cover letter and references!
For all you aspiring S.W.A.T. writers, there’s a description of the position and a link to the downloadable application after the jump…
Job Description:
In late-2005, the Descant Arts & Letters Foundation began its NOW HEAR THIS! outreach program, which runs writing workshops with community organizations, literacy groups and at-risk-youth around Toronto.
NOW HEAR THIS! and the Toronto Catholic District School Board partnered to create S.W.A.T. (Students, Writers and Teachers), a program that places professional authors in high school classrooms to run workshops with students, now in its fourth year. NOW HEAR THIS! and the TCDSB are now looking for five more writers to join S.W.A.T. for the 2010 winter semester.
S.W.A.T. writers in residence are placed in TCDSB secondary schools and together with teachers develop and facilitate writing workshops based on course curricula. For ten weeks, writers plan exercises with students to help work on basic sentence structure, grammar, developing persuasive arguments, creative expression and critical thinking.
Responsibilities:
- Planning workshops and scheduling classroom visits with teachers
- Submitting workshop outlines to NHT! and the TCDSB
- Weekly visits to classrooms, facilitating workshops, reading and editing students’ work
- Bi-weekly journals submitted to NHT! and the TCDSB
- Helping to compile class-specific component of print anthology of student work
- Final program evaluation
Requirements:
- professional author as per the Canada Council’s definition
- Have at least one (1) published work
- ability to work with others and independently
- experience teaching and/or working with youth
- familiarity with Microsoft Word and Excel; regular email and internet access
- commitment to goals of Now Hear This! program
Additional Information:
Please download and fill out the Application Form here and submit with a cover letter, résumé and references. Email and fax applications will not be considered.
Send Submissions by January 4, 2010 to:
SWAT 2010 – Residency Application
Mark Laliberte, NHT Program Manager
c/o Descant/NHT!
50 Baldwin St.
Toronto, ON
M5T 1L4
If you have any questions or require more information, please contact Rachel Hopwood, Program Coordinator at rachel@nowhearthis.ca