Y O U T H P R O G R A M S
Teen Writers Mentorship Program
Teen Writers Mentorship Program
Fall 2025 - Spring 2026
Catholic Literary Arts is excited to offer a writing mentorship program for high school students during the 2025-26 academic year.
Benefits
Our effective and inspired instruction has enabled our Teen Mentorship Program students to win awards and be published every year of our program. We provide virtual instructional sessions followed by writing assignments and revisions of those writing assignments based on teacher feedback.
Our professional faculty will mentor you by using individual feedback and focused instruction in addition to their writing, editing, and publication experience.
We bring the fun of writing to you while also helping you attain additional writing skills. This is a positive environment for you to explore your love of writing and reading, while also beginning to submit your polished pieces to writing contests and to journals and magazines offering publication opportunities.
Skills Acquisition
Exciting opportunities for learning and enjoyment of the writing arts will be featured:
focused discussion with a Christ-centered basis;
instruction in writing poetry, fiction, and personal essay;
monthly virtual meetings on a Saturday morning;
peer-to-peer critique with a teacher’s monitoring;
sponsorship for contest entries, and
strategic assessment of publication opportunities.
Monthly Virtual Meetings
Virtual meetings will held monthly (with the exception of Christmas vacation) on Saturday mornings during the academic year 2025-2026.
Attendance is mandatory, unless coordinator approval is given before and class and all homework and critique expectations are met in a timely manner.
2025-2026 Schedule
Thursday, August 21, 2025 (6:30-7:30 pm, CDT): Virtual Orientation Session for Parents and Students
Saturday, September 6 (10-11:15 am, CDT): Online Session
Saturday, October 4 (10-11:15 am, CDT): Online Session
Saturday, November 1 (10-11:15 am, CDT): Online Session
Friday, November 28: Typical Scholastic Writing Contest Deadline, SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Saturday, February 7, 2026 (10-11:15 am, CST): Online Session
Saturday, March 7, 2026 (10-11:15 am, CST): Online Session
Saturday, April 4, 2026 (10-11:15 am, CST): Online Session
Saturday, May 2, 2026 (10-11:15 am, CST): Online Session
Expectations
Please read through these expectations before applying:
Each applicant must be registered in high school or in a high-school level home-school course of study. The minimum age is 14 years.
Each applicant must use Google Classroom to access virtual teaching sessions and to turn in homework. [See the next bullet point, please.]
Google Classroom access must be set up before the first session on September 6, 2025. If this is not possible, then the student will forfeit his or her spot in the Teen Mentorship program for the current academic year.
Parents will provide a parental email address and telephone number to be used for all communication between CLA faculty/staff and students.
Students will commit to attend monthly virtual sessions and complete writing exercises by the due date.
Students agree to submit a minimum of one entry to a contest or publication approved by CLA during the academic year’s schedule of virtual meetings. Each submission will be determined by conferring with CLA faculty who will support the students in editing and revision.
Students, parents, and CLA faculty/staff will follow Safe Environment guidelines of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
Each student and one parent will attend the Orientation session in August as stated below.
Students will attend six virtual teaching sessions between September 2025 and May 2026. A student will automatically forfeit his or his participation in this program for two non-attendance in the virtual teaching Saturday sessions without prior approval by the coordinator AND completion of the month’s assignments.
Students will complete a one-page essay by May 15, 2026. summarizing their experiences in the Mentorship Program.
Applications
Applications may be submitted by email until 11:59 p.m., CDT on July 25, 2025.
Please email your application package to cathla.org@gmail.com [Subject line: Application for Teen Mentorship Program.]
APPLICATION PACKAGE
Your application must include the following:
a statement from the student's parent(s) or legal guardian giving the student permission to apply and be included in the program, if selected,
a one-page letter from the student saying why he/she wishes to participate in the program and what he or she hopes to learn,
a two-page writing sample, either prose or poetry, or both. Student’s name must appear on each page.
contact email and telephone number for parent/s.
The application deadline is July 25, 2025, 11:59 p.m., CDT
Please understand that each year we receive more applications than we have room for in this program. Only a few limited spots are available.
Deadlines
This year’s cohort will be selected from applications submitted between the dates of June 1, 2025, and July 25, 2025.
Each selected student and one parent must attend a virtual Information Session on Thursday August 21, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.. At that meeting, you will receive the following items:
the academic year’s schedule, including due dates for writing assignments, and
the software requirements and procedures.
The cost of this program is $600, which may be paid in one payment by check or Paypal. The acceptance letter will include instructions for payment.
