for schools

our young girls, wearing red and black hoodies, smiling at the camera. One girl is holding up a comic she has drawn

More than ever, young Tasmanians need confidence and writing skills so they can grow to be resilient and creative shapers of their own lives.  

That’s why Story Island runs dynamic storytelling workshop programs, and makes these free of charge to schools with an ICSEA below 960.  

Story Island’s in-school storytelling programs are all about confidence, creativity and celebration. In Story Island workshops, young people are empowered to create their own stories, expressing themselves in a range of genres and themes.  

Story Island’s workshops are led by our ‘Story Leader’ and guest artists, who provide expert creative guidance. In our longer programs, trained volunteer tutors work with small groups of students. Tutors typically work with the same students each week, developing supportive creative relationships with their students.  

At the end of each program, we celebrate students’ achievements by presenting their creative pieces to them in published form, recognising students as published authors and artists!

Current programs

A young girl wearing glasses is holding up a coming she has drawn. Only her eyes and nose are visible above the comic.
Panels of a comic illustrated by a child, with the words, 'Pop took me out fishing to get dinner'.

A Trunk Full of Stories
What’s in the trunk? Explore Story Island’s trunk full of objects and turn it into a trunk full of… stories! 
In this program, students will explore objects in our storytelling trunk and respond creatively to them. Students will generate ideas for a narrative, then test out the ingredients that make for a gripping story.

Suitability: grades 5-7
Duration: delivered as a set of 8 weekly workshops, 90 minutes per week
Outcomes: students are actively supported to think creatively, and learn about plot building, problem solving and vivid description within stories. Students leave with: a completed narrative inspired by an object in the storytelling trunk. Each story will be published in an anthology of creative work for students to keep.

Sense In Nonsense
Create your very own imaginary island, complete with unique characters, places, and languages! 
In this program, students will create a map of their island, design its features, profile its inhabitants, then send a message about it back home! This program features our guest illustrator, Leigh Rigozzi.
Suitability: grades 4-6
Duration: delivered as a set of 8 weekly workshops, 90 minutes per week 
Outcomes: students are actively supported to think creatively through designing new worlds and experimenting with language. Students leave with: a postcard featuring their island. Each postcard is published in an anthology of creative work for students to keep.

A close-up of panels of a comic book with two bottles of black ink and several paintbrushes at the rear
A high school student wearing a beanie, looking down at the comic they are illustrating

Little Mysteries of Me
Everyone has a story to tell. We might lead ordinary lives, but our experiences are anything but ordinary.
In this program, students embark on a quest of self-discovery and experiment with approaches to telling their own stories in either narrative or multimodal form. This program features our guest illustrator, Leigh Rigozzi.

Suitability: grades 8-10
Duration: set of 8 weekly workshops, 90 minutes per week
Outcomes: students are actively supported to think creatively and reflectively, and learn about plot building, perspective and vivid description within stories. Students leave with a completed narrative or multimodal narrative focusing on an aspect of their life. Each narrative is published in an anthology of creative work for students to keep.