One in six people in the UK today has poor literacy skills, putting them at a clear disadvantage when applying for work or further education.

That’s why we set up Bringing Words to Life in 2012.

Through all our writing projects, the aim remains the same: we help people find their voice by learning to put their pens – and their passions – to paper. Teen mums or schoolkids, ex-offenders or carers: writing with purpose is for everyone.

We create platforms for self-expression, fostering literacy and a love of the written word. After all, if you know there’s somebody listening, everyone can start to bring their words to life.

MEET OUR FOUNDER,

MELANIE CORNISH-FLEET

Melanie J Cornish is first and foremost a writer with a distinct attitude to the profession and how it can help lift the aspirations and successes of young people today.

Melanie studied at the London College of Printing – first pursuing Journalism, then Marketing and PR, Melanie went on to run bars and clubs in the city, where she nurtured her perceptive and effective interviewing skills. But after deciding that studying in London wasn’t the right fit, Melanie opted to travel. This decision landed her in New York City, where she secured a job as PA to the former Vice President of CBS News and Oscar-nominated documentary film-maker Betsy West.

It was during her time in New York that Melanie’s writing career took off and she became a prominent hip-hop journalist in the 2000s. Working hard at securing high-profile interviews and establishing a strong network of connections, Melanie demonstrated a flair for communication.

Melanie returned to the UK to reconnect with family, and it was here that Melanie began volunteering in a local Gateshead primary school, engaging young people with literacy through the Press Pack project. 

In the coming years, the work of Press Pack and its positive results on children’s education transformed into the literacy charity Bringing Words to Life.

Now, it works to help young people around the country build self-confidence, take ownership of their education, and offers a platform where opinions, knowledge, and interests can be shared.

The key aims of Bringing Words to Life are best reflected in practice by Beep, an online news magazine and app where young people share their musings on politics, sports, film, music, TV, and everything in between. 

When Melanie established Bringing Words to Life, Beep was not far behind; the idea of a young people’s magazine and blog, written for them by them, was born out of her own childhood desire to write. Beep, established in 2013, has now published over 6,000 articles by young people around the country.

Alongside facilitating Beep, Bringing Words to Life provides writing and journalism workshops to schools around the country to young people of all ages. As a fellow of the Lloyds School of Social Entrepreneurs, Melanie has ensured the needs of the young people she works with are at the forefront of all the programmes that the charity delivers.

The next step for Melanie and the charity is launching the Write2 project: a series of guides created by Melanie for teachers. They parachute the unique wealth and depth of writing, communication, and education expertise Melanie has acquired over her career directly into schools. 

Understanding that each young person learns differently, but all need respect for both growth and personal knowledge underpins Write2. When these sessions have been delivered over the years in schools, teachers, headteachers, and students themselves note how their confidence and enthusiasm for learning improve. This was always the aim.