Digital Writes - Development & Publishing C.I.C.

We are a non-profit creative educational organisation. We enable anyone, regardless of age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or economic disadvantage, to take part in creative projects including: - creative writing - the arts - game design - music - physical computing - robotics and to have their work exhibited, published or distributed: - for enjoyment - to achieve personal goals - to develop artistic and technical skills - to explore new creative opportunities We are a not-for-profit Community Interest Company limited by guarantee, with an asset lock. As a disability and neurodiversity-led organisation, one of our principal aims is to empower disabled and neurodiverse children and young people through creative and digital arts activities. We seek to provide opportunities that build confidence, develop skills, encourage self-expression and ensure that participants' ideas and voices are valued. During the financial year 2024-25 the company's activities benefited the community through the following projects: 1. A Moral Paradox. One young person continued to work with our creative writing tutor, a published author, to develop and illustrate an interactive fantasy-adventure novel. Sessions took place online using Zoom and Google Docs, enabling the participant to access specialist mentoring regardless of location. The project supported the development of creative writing, planning, editing and illustration skills, while also providing personalised encouragement and guidance. The participant was able to develop a substantial creative work and gain experience of the processes involved in producing interactive fiction. 2. Marvellous Musical Machine During the year we renewed our partnership with Lydiard Park Academy’s centre for children and young people with Autism Spectrum Condition and expanded our work into the field of physical computing through the delivery of the Marvellous Musical Machine project, funded by Youth Music. The project engaged ten children through a series of twelve workshops in which participants explored music, technology and creativity by designing and programming interactive devices. Participants learned new technical and creative skills, including programming, problem-solving, experimentation and collaborative working. The project also included professional development opportunities for teaching assistants, helping staff gain confidence in supporting creative technology activities. We produced videos and other documentation to celebrate participants' achievements and share learning with families, staff and the wider community. 3. Art of Conversation During the year we worked closely with Westlea Primary School and Crowdy's Hill School to develop Art of Conversation, a creative technology project for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. School staff played an active role in shaping the project, helping us identify the needs and interests of participants and ensuring that activities would be accessible and engaging. This collaborative planning process formed the basis of a successful funding application to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, securing support for the project's delivery. At the end of the school year we delivered an introductory workshop involving eight Year 11 pupils together with six teachers and teaching assistants. Participants took part in practical activities exploring video game design and physical computing, while also contributing ideas that would help determine the direction of the project when full delivery began in September. The workshop provided an opportunity to test activities, gather feedback and establish a shared sense of ownership among participants and staff before the main programme commenced. 4. Video Game Development at St Marys Primary School We delivered three free after-school video game development workshops for ten children at St Mary's Primary School. The workshops introduced participants to the fundamentals of game design and digital creativity while encouraging problem-solving, teamwork and creative thinking. By providing these activities free of charge, we were able to reduce financial barriers to participation and make creative technology opportunities accessible to a wider group of young people.