Hinckley Library – Teen Boys’ Digital Storytelling Project

Inspired by the National Year of Reading 2026 focus on engaging boys aged 10 to 16, we are delighted to be delivering an exciting digital storytelling project at Hinckley Library. We will be working with two local school groups, St Mary’s C of E Primary and Dorothy Goodman School, both of whom are thrilled to be on board and are raring to go!

Following a highly competitive selection process, we have commissioned digital participation artist John Whall to lead our project. John is an award-winning, digital participation artist and brings extensive experience of delivering creative, interactive and inclusive digital workshops for children and young people, including those with SEND. His engaging approach helps participants build confidence, develop new digital skills and express their creativity in meaningful ways.

Participants from each school will take part in four exciting digital workshops at the library, along with a celebration event to launch the final output. This project is a fantastic opportunity to enhance the participant’s wellbeing, develop their digital skills and reconnect them to reading.

At the heart of the project is the opportunity for participants to co-create an immersive online 3D world using New Art City, a digital exhibition platform. Drawing inspiration from popular gaming environments such as Minecraft and Roblox, the young people will design and shape their own virtual spaces. They will also be introduced to gaming-themed books Holomonsters by Lee Newbery and Thomas Flintham’s Press Start series, encouraging them to draw inspiration from the worlds within them.

Our project launches in January 2027, and we can’t wait to share its progress. Make sure to come back then to see how it is developing!

Catherine Overton is the Cultural Participation Worker managing this project: catherine.overton@leics.gov.uk 0116 3052507.