Jeff Kinney wants you to connect with your past!
It is a huge honour to have, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” author Jeff Kinney supporting our #SongsandStories project encouraging children to connect with older family members and to research the Dúchas archives.
Wimpy Kid Success
When we contacted Jeff and explained how we hoped to encourage children to have fun writing during these testing times he responded enthusiastically. Jeff has sold over 300 million books and has several his stories brought to life in movie format. Having one of the world’s most successful children’s writers believe in our work means a lot to us.
Lovable characters
It took Jeff Kinney ten years of hard work to bring Greg Heffley and his Wimpy Kid friends to life. Jeff and the team at Inspiring You are eagerly awaiting to see what dreams you have and what characters you can create!
Do you like “Old School” stories?
Jeff Kinney imagined a world filled with stories, friendship, family fun and hilarious adventures. The “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” author is encouraging students of all ages to connect with their past and to write a story in any format you want inspired by the “Old School” theme Jeff’s video promoting our competition says it all!
What are we looking for?
The “Old School” competition is a short story competition designed to be fun where students from around the world are invited to submit a short story of up to 500 words. Just like our ancestors did in the past, Jeff wants you to find some fun stories, real or fictious about life in the past, and write them down so we can entertain each other!
What format should you write?
You can write in any style of your choosing and you can include drawings in your story if you wish. Like Jeff you can write in diary format, short story or as a letter. If you are happy with your entry so are we!
Submit your entry
Once you have finished your story you can submit it here If you have any problems with your entry Contact Us and we will be happy to help. The most important rule of all is that you have fun dreaming up a story.
Who can enter?
The competition is open to children of all ages.
Deadline
The deadline for entries for the #OldSchool competition is 8pm on Monday the 25th of May 2026. The winners of the signed “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books will be announced on the 1st of June.
Prizes for winners
All entrants are included in a draw where you could win a, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book, signed by Jeff himself!
Songs and Stories with Damien Dempsey & Jeff Kinney
The, “Songs and Stories” concept is simple. We want to encourage children and schools to make time for songs, stories and tunes in everyday life. Share our #SongsandStories to keep them alive and learn about each other’s musical history and folklore.
Damien Dempsey advocates cultural appreciation, social inclusion, wellbeing, resilience through music, tunes, songs and stories.
Jeff Kinney inspires us to appreciate friendship, family, the simple things in life, creative writing and a healthy sense of fun.
The “Rocky Road Sing Song with Damien Dempsey” is a schools only concert and is part of the “Songs and Stories” project takes place in the TF Royal, Castlebar on May 1st. Checkout the exciting line up and ticket link here.
Damien and Jeff are the perfect duo to inspire us to sing and tell stories!
About the “Songs and Stories” project
We believe that the project will encourage cultural understanding among students throughout the country and help grow empathy, friendships and encourage a greater sense of community. The idea is also to show what fun used to be like in real life without phones.
In the words of Damien, “Music is about healing, community and hope. It’s a way of life.”
Together we can make the world a brighter place, one song and story at a time. Together we can give songs like, “Rare Ould Times” a new lease of life.
Irish and international traditions, customs, songs, stories and language can be integrated into the classroom and community groups. Schools and community groups could also would draw on the Dúchas archives and encourage children to talk to older generations to find out more about their our heritage.
Fun filled future
A selection of entries will also be shared on our Inspiring You social media platforms to inspire others to dream of a “Brighter Tomorrow”.
Dare to Dream
In a world filled with uncertainty we hope that our competition will encourage children to dream about a future filled with peace, tolerance, love, hope, imagination and endless possibilities – while drawing inspiration from our own cultural past. Have fun bringing your “Old School” stories to life!
More information
Contact philip@inspiringyou.ie for media enquiries or further information. You can also follow us on social media @inspiringyouirl.
No Comments