Maison Des Jeunes Deroua Berrechid
26202 Deroua
Morocco
- Arts
- Gender
- International/Cultural relations
- Media
- Research
- Youth and education
The Olive Writers is a literary arts association based in Casablanca, Morocco. Our flagship program, the Summer Camp, gathers talented young writers from around the country for a one-week long intensive writing program. Founded in 2016, the Olive Writers is a growing community of writers, literary advocates, and leaders. We successfully partnered with high-caliber stakeholders such as the American Language Center Casablanca, U.S. Embassy Morocco, U.S. Department of State, International Media Support, the American Cultural Association, AMP Global Youth, Morocco Library Project, Swedish Institute, Swedish Writers' Union, and the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, ensuring that all programming is fully funded and accessible to all. The Olive Writers reaches out to participants who are on the margins, whether because of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or financial circumstances.
Mission Statement: The Olive Writers works to support writers at all levels by connecting them, offering them opportunities for personal and professional development, and mobilizing them to engage others, inspire, and promote social change. Our Goals & Objectives: Our primary goal is to give a voice to Moroccan residents- established or emerging writers, students, readers- by providing a safe space to express experiences and embrace the experiences of others. By blending both literary and soft skills programming, we intend to design programs that support writing enthusiasts in the development of their craft, and the acquisition of the necessary skills for their success. By connecting established writers to young writers, we teach and inspire them to become better writers and artists and embrace a creative life, which significantly increases their chances of success in any career. By capturing stories and narratives from diverse perspectives, we hope to shed light on the brimming nature of the Moroccan society, with its coexisting identities and abundant talent. We strive to support freedom of expression and ignite the value of the literary arts in the community, emphasizing their importance in bringing about a positive change in society. While we exceedingly rely on established writers to volunteer their time and expertise in our programming, we do our best, when possible, to provide them with additional sources of income through teaching and speaking engagements. We believe in the power of literature in bridging the distance between cultures and societies, so we intend to connect Morocco’s literary scene to the international scene by providing platforms for writers to meet, supporting Moroccan writers’ mobility and participation in international writing programs, encouraging reading world literature, and launching translation initiatives. The Olive Writers serves as a model to empower young Moroccans to take a more active role in creating other innovative projects to establish safe and nurturing spaces where creative minds can meet and discuss important issues of creativity. The Olive Writers relies on imagination as a tool to create a community built around values of compassion, inclusion, empathy, and tolerance.
To achieve our mission, The Olive Writers works on a diverse array of programs: - Flagship program: The Olive Writers Summer Camp: Every summer, The Olive Writers brings together 25-30 writers aged 16-23 to Casablanca for a one week of creative writing, soft skills, and fun activities. The program offers two primary tracks, an Arabic-medium writing seminar and an English-medium writing seminar. - Olive Writers Regional Workshops: To expand beyond the Casablanca-Rabat axis, The Olive Writers will organize regional workshops throughout the country. The workshops will cover all forms of writing: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, script-writing, song-writing, plays..etc, in addition to soft skills. - Window On Sweden (Upcoming): Promoting mutual understanding and gender equality through creative writing A new program funded by the Swedish Institute, in partnership with the Swedish Writers Union. This project will bring emerging Moroccan writers together for a 4-days-long residency to dive into their belief systems, explore their convictions and experiences, and learn to question and promote the presence of Gender Equality in the Moroccan society. Led by established Swedish writers, the program will allow participants to revise and refine a creative writing project aiming to raise awareness and create a common future based on shared values in the fight against gender violence. - Olive Writers Digital Learning Program (O-Live): O-live program combines all our digital learning activities. This includes: Lives, discussions, seminars, workshops, watch parties..etc. - Creative Arts/Writing Contests: The Olive Writers frequently organize a series of writing contests, followed by publications of the works. These contests provide a platform for outstanding writing and seek to share the work of emerging Moroccan writers with a wider audience - Olive Writers Magazine: The Olive Writers Magazine is a platform for the writers and artists in the Olive Writers network to share their creative work. www.olivewritersmag.com - Olive Writers Clubs : After a pilot club in the University of Dhar El Mehrez, The Olive Writers will support alumni and all other interested writing enthusiasts in creating Olive Writers Clubs in their respective schools. The Olive Writers will assist in the founding phase, and later provide resources to the clubs. - English for Writers: Our English for Writers programs aims to teacher writers in Arabic and French the English Language. The program hosts two-months long only English languages courses for different levels. Thanks to our new agreement with the ALC Casablanca, we will be able to offer one-year scholarships to study English at the center. Special Projects When an opportunity arises, The Olive Writers works on special projects. This may include publication of books, multi-disciplinary ventures, conferences, seminars, camps, book fairs, fellowships, sabbatical grants, providing speakers for events.. etc. Examples of special projects: Casablanca International Book Fair Events 2019 and 2020, Press Cartooning School 2021, Global Scholar: Covid-19 Edition, Global Scholar: Spring Forward.
We will be happy to share our expertise when it comes to empowerment and social change through creative writing. Other than that, sharing resources and supporting our fellow network members is something we are willing to do. In addition to that, we would be also thrilled to contribute to any of the network's efforts in expanding ALF mission in Morocco.
Other than contributing effectively to the growth of the ALF Network, we are very motivated by the prospective opportunity of working alongside other NGOs on joint projects whether in Morocco or outside. As a young organization, the ALF Network will help us learn from other initiatives and leaders, attend capacity building trainings, and benefit from other ways of support that the ALF provides. All of these is crucial for our growth and development.