Fighting Words Northern Ireland
Fighting Words Northern Ireland is a Belfast-based registered charity that delivers free creative writing workshops and publications to children and young people aged 6-18 across Northern Ireland, primarily through primary and post-primary schools, with a focus on reluctant and neurodivergent writers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersBelfast, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fighting Words Northern Ireland does
Fighting Words Northern Ireland is a registered charity (NIC105751, Company No: NI638582) headquartered at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast, founded in 2015 and operating with 11 employees across Northern Ireland. Its core function is delivering free creative writing workshops to children and young people aged 6-18, with an explicit emphasis on engaging reluctant writers, neurodivergent children, and those with special educational needs. The primary customer base is Northern Ireland primary and post-primary schools, served through three delivery channels: in-person workshops at Crescent Arts Centre and the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's University Belfast, online Zoom workshops, and pre-recorded video workshops with accompanying teacher guides.
The product portfolio spans core workshops (Story-Making Workshops for primary, Creative Writing Workshops for post-primary), ongoing engagement programmes (Write Club for ages 13-18, the Digital Write Club Platform, and the Guthanna Óga youth advisory panel), and a publication ecosystem (Zines, Anthologies, Analecta teen anthology, Irish Times Magazine collaborations, the Fighting Words Podcast, and Theatrical Showcases). The Library of Stories functions as a public online archive indexed by school group. Underlying technology is commodity-grade: Drupal CMS, Zoom, Calendly, MailerLite, Google Analytics, YouTube, and Spotify—no proprietary AI or advanced systems are deployed. The collaborative story-making model, where children build chapter one sentence-by-sentence with real-time illustration before writing individually, is the methodological cornerstone.
The organization operates as a non-commercial entity with no participant fees. All workshops are provided free at point of delivery, and income is derived entirely from charitable grants and donations. The published funder roster comprises approximately ten grant-making bodies, including A&O Shearman Foundation, Amazon Literary Partnership, the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland (via the RTÉ Toy Show Fund), the Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, and Schroder Charity Trust. The organization is a sister entity to Fighting Words in the Republic of Ireland and a member of the International Alliance of Youth Writing Centres, with brand endorsement from prominent author patrons including Dave Eggers, Roddy Doyle, Nick Hornby, Paul Muldoon, Lucy Caldwell, and Glenn Patterson. Linda is led by Director Hilary Copeland, with Programme Leads for Schools and Community, and a defined safeguarding and health-and-safety governance structure.
Fighting Words Northern Ireland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fighting Words Northern Ireland
- Legal name
- Fighting Words Northern Ireland
- Website
- https://fightingwords.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Fighting Words Northern Ireland is a Belfast-based registered charity that delivers free creative writing workshops and publications to children and young people aged 6-18 across Northern Ireland, primarily through primary and post-primary schools, with a focus on reluctant and neurodivergent writers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fighting Words Northern Ireland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Creative Writing Education (Nonprofit)
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK), Writing Critique Groups & Peer Workshops (EDAMAMAJ)
Keywords
Where Fighting Words Northern Ireland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Belfast
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Fighting Words Northern Ireland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable Funding and Grants: Registered charity relying on grants and donations from foundations and corporate partners. No direct revenue from services - all workshops are free to participants.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Creative Writing Workshops for Schools |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Fighting Words Northern Ireland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fighting Words Northern Ireland is a registered charity that provides free creative writing workshops and programs for children and young people aged 6-18 across Northern Ireland. Its core offerings include in-person and online story-making workshops for primary and post-primary schools, Write Clubs for teen writers aged 13-18, and a publishing programme that produces Zines, Anthologies, the Analecta teen anthology, and a Library of Stories archive. All workshops are delivered free of charge to schools and youth groups, funded by charitable grants and donations.
Product overview
Fighting Words Northern Ireland operates as a creative writing charity offering a portfolio of interconnected programs for young people aged 6-18. The core offerings include Story-Making Workshops (primary) and Creative Writing Workshops (post-primary), available both in-person and as pre-recorded video workshops. Write Club provides ongoing support for teen writers aged 13-18. The organisation publishes youth writing through Zines, Anthologies, Analecta (teen anthology), Irish Times Magazine collaborations, Podcasts, and Theatrical Showcases. A Library of Stories serves as an online archive of workshop outputs, while the Digital Write Club Platform enables ongoing peer sharing. Teacher Training and Volunteer Mentor Training support programme delivery. Key projects include Peace by Piece and Guthanna Óga (Young Voices) youth advisory panel. All workshops are free and focus on collaborative then individual story creation, resulting in every child becoming a published writer.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Story-Making Workshops
- Creative Writing Workshops
- Write Club
- Pre-recorded Video Workshops
- Library of Stories
- Digital Write Club Platform
- Teacher Training
- Zines Irregular publication featuring writing from young people from across Northern Ireland. Fighting Words NI's Zine publication showcasing participants' creative work.
- Anthologies Collections of stories written by school groups and young people participating in Fighting Words NI workshops.
- Analecta Dedicated annual anthology of writing by teen writers (ages 13-18). Issue one published in August 2022, featuring introduction by YA author Kelly McCaughrain and stories by Write Club members. Part of the 100 Years Project, a Decade of Centenaries initiative.
- Fighting Words Podcast Podcast series featuring young authors from around the island of Ireland sharing stories, poems and plays created at workshops, in conversation with facilitators and mentors. Available on YouTube and Spotify.
- Irish Times Magazine Collaborative publication with Irish Times Magazine featuring writing from young people.
Quantifiable outcome
- Every child leaves as a published writer with their work posted on the Library of Stories website
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Fighting Words Northern Ireland
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Fighting Words Northern Ireland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature2 records
Fighting Words Northern Ireland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Fighting Words (Republic of Ireland)coreSister organization based in the Republic of Ireland. Fighting Words centres across Ireland operate with shared vision to create transformative writing opportunities for young people. Cross-border collaboration on projects like the joint Story Seeds podcast.
- Crescent Arts CentrecoreHost venue for Fighting Words NI headquarters at 2-4 University Road, Belfast. Co-located arts organization providing space for workshops and operations.
- Queen's University Belfast (Seamus Heaney Centre)corePartnership with Queen's University Belfast providing workshop space at the Seamus Heaney Centre for creative writing workshops with schools.
- 174 TrustminorYouth writing organization partner listed as part of the Fighting Words network of youth writing organizations.
- International Alliance of Youth Writing CentresminorGlobal network of youth writing centres sharing best practices and vision for transformative writing opportunities worldwide.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fighting Words Northern Ireland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- First Story: UK charity that places professional writers in low-income secondary schools to run creative writing workshops and publish student anthologies. Directly comparable in mission (creative writing for underserved youth in UK schools) and published-output model.
- Ministry of Stories: London-based charity running free creative writing workshops and mentoring for children and young people aged 8–18, using volunteer mentors. Directly comparable UK-based peer in mission, model, and target demographic.
- 826 National: US nonprofit network of youth writing centers founded by patron Dave Eggers, offering free creative writing workshops and tutoring for students. Closest international analogue in methodology (collaborative story creation, published student work, volunteer mentors) and demographic focus.
- 174 Trust: Northern Ireland youth writing organization explicitly listed as a Fighting Words network partner. Closely comparable in regional focus (NI), youth-writing mission, and operational scale.
- Fighting Words (Republic of Ireland): Sister organization based in Dublin, co-founded by Roddy Doyle on the identical workshop model for children and young writers. Most directly comparable in mission, methodology, demographic, and patron network (Doyle and Eggers are patrons of both).
Broad incumbents
- National Centre for Writing: UK-wide literary development organization based in Norwich running writing programs, residencies, and outreach for writers of all ages including young people. Comparable in literary-arts mission and UK footprint but operates at materially larger scale.
- BookTrust: UK-wide children's literacy charity providing books, author visits, and creative resources to schools and families. Comparable in mission to expand children's engagement with writing, but operates at national scale with broader literacy focus.
Regional players
- Children's Books Ireland: Republic of Ireland national charity promoting children's books and reading, including school programs and writer engagement. Comparable in children's-literacy mission and cross-border Ireland focus, but with a books/reading emphasis rather than creative writing workshops.
- Scottish Book Trust: Scotland's national charity for books and reading, running creative writing workshops, author events, and school programs for children. Highly comparable in children's creative-writing mission and charity-funded model, but serves a different UK nation.
Others
- Poetry Ireland: Ireland's national poetry organization running education programs including schools workshops and young-writer initiatives (e.g., Poetry Aloud). Comparable as an Ireland-based literary-arts nonprofit with school-engagement programs, though focused on poetry rather than prose fiction.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fighting Words Northern Ireland social profiles
Digital presenceFighting Words Northern Ireland compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Fighting Words Northern Ireland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fighting Words Northern Ireland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Fighting Words Northern Ireland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fighting Words Northern Ireland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fighting Words Northern Ireland
What does Fighting Words Northern Ireland do?
Fighting Words Northern Ireland is a registered charity that provides free creative writing workshops and programs for children and young people aged 6-18 across Northern Ireland. Its core offerings include in-person and online story-making workshops for primary and post-primary schools, Write Clubs for teen writers aged 13-18, and a publishing programme that produces Zines, Anthologies, the Analecta teen anthology, and a Library of Stories archive. All workshops are delivered free of charge to schools and youth groups, funded by charitable grants and donations.
Is Fighting Words Northern Ireland a public or private company?
Fighting Words Northern Ireland is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Fighting Words Northern Ireland founded?
Fighting Words Northern Ireland was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Fighting Words Northern Ireland based?
Fighting Words Northern Ireland is headquartered in Belfast, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Fighting Words Northern Ireland make money?
One revenue line is on record: charitable Funding and Grants.
Who are Fighting Words Northern Ireland's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are First Story, Ministry of Stories, 826 National, 174 Trust and Fighting Words (Republic of Ireland). Broad incumbents are National Centre for Writing and BookTrust. Regional players are Children's Books Ireland and Scottish Book Trust. Poetry Ireland is listed as an others.
Does Fighting Words Northern Ireland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fighting Words Northern Ireland.
What industry is Fighting Words Northern Ireland in?
Fighting Words Northern Ireland's product category is Youth Creative Writing Education (Nonprofit). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAMAF, Children’s & YA Writing Workshops, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAK, Literary Arts & Writing Organizations. Its NAICS code is 61161 and its SIC code is 8200.