Raising Voices, One Story at a Time. Annual Report 2019-2020 Our Mission Young Storytellers sparks creative self-discovery through storytelling. Our programs highlight young people as the center of their own narratives, emphasize that their stories matter, and celebrate their unique voices as the ones telling them. In elementary school, we use storytelling to help young people explore their creativity and imagination. In middle school, we use storytelling to explore their goals for the future and what challenges might stand in their way. In high school, we use storytelling to explore the impact their voice can have in their community - and, more broadly, the world. Young Storytellers works towards a future where young people experience the impact that their thoughts, feelings, and words can have on the world in which they live. Our programs act as a tool to convene the necessary elements in any community to facilitate connection between young people, the general population, and the schools that act as a central hub of growth and activity. We raise voices, one story at a time. Young Storytellers is where... People Connect Everyone Plays Genuine connection between Play with a purpose allows participants people requires empathy and to engage with wonder and investigate sensitivity. The respect and honesty their world. This is how we remove needed to connect is a fundamental roadblocks to creativity and build a more element of everything that we do. whole collective. We Explore You Belong Being vulnerable and inventive requires Originality and individuality are things a supportive environment. Young to be celebrated. We serve young Storytellers fosters exploration of the people and adults by cultivating an open self and the world in which we live, while community where everyone gives of empowering our community to tell their themselves and speaks fully from their stories. unique perspectives. Why it Matters The world that young people operate in today is more complex, economically competitive, and interconnected than at any other time in human history. To ensure that students are fully prepared to meet the demands of the 21st Century, we believe that the academic knowledge that schools impart must be matched by a commitment to developing social and emotional skills and competencies. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is multifaceted and often difficult to teach in traditional classroom settings, but is without question essential to developing a young person’s ability to recognize and manage emotions, build relationships, solve interpersonal problems, and make effective and ethical decisions. The arts, which engage multiple learning modalities and are uniquely powerful when applied to SEL goals, are chronically underfunded and often the first to be cut when budgets tighten. Young Storytellers programming is designed to act as a tool for educators to more deeply engage students who might be struggling or could use the extra attention a one-on-one mentor provides. We use the arts - specifically creative writing and live performance - as a way for young people to develop themselves. Script to Stage STORYTELLING TO EXPLORE CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION. 95% of teachers This semester-long, Common Core-aligned elementary noticed an school program places students with an adult mentor one- improvement in the on-one to write scripts that are entirely their own, then writing skills of their actors perform those for the students and their peers live students. at an assembly. Day of Story STORYTELLING TO GROW EXCITEMENT AND CONNECTION. A condensed version of the Script to Stage program, Day of Story is a one-day, in-school workshop that pairs mentors one-on-one with 4th grade students. The mentors help students create their own story outline along with a descriptive poster. Young Storytellers has run Day of Story workshops with variable sizes of groups (anywhere from 20-100 adult mentors), with corporations such as Disney, U.S. Bank, and Verve. 91% of students are more confident in sharing their creative ideas. Teachers reported that their students showed more mutual respect and understanding for their Story Lab classmates. STORYTELLING AND WRITING TO SUPPORT SELF-EXPLORATION. Story Lab, developed in partnership with Warner Bros. and LAUSD’s Arts Education Branch and Division of Instruction, delivers original curriculum to sixth-grade middle school students that focuses on core storytelling skills while reinforcing confidence, empathy, and personal voice through self-reflection and creativity. Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment lent the use of its DC Super Heroes as a tool to get students to think about heroes in their lives and their own “superpowers.” Middle School Monologues 80% of STORYTELLING TO UNDERSTAND GOALS students felt that the AND NAVIGATE OBSTACLES. program helped them consider the feelings A mixture of adult mentorship and views of others. and collective exploration, students in our middle school program work collaboratively with a group mentor to create monologues about challenges they face and then work with actors who later perform those pieces. High School PSAs STORYTELLING TO EXPLORE ISSUES AND IMPACT. 96% of students Students in our high school program write public service announcements (or better understood PSA scripts) in groups to address an important issue facing their self-identified how to influence communities. We then bring in actors - you guessed it - to perform their work. people using different modes of persuasion. Our Impact 1,673 164 Volunteer Mentors Programs 12,478 all-time 1,234 all-time 3,067 1,263 Scripts Students Served 11,498 all-time 15,403 all-time 1,219 1,300 Volunteer Performers Autobiographical Superheroes 2,300+ all-time 11,939 all-time 14,000+ 444 Audience Movie Posters 102,000+ all-time 976 all-time “My least favorite part of Young Storytellers was leaving. I wanted to stay forever; it was one of the best experiences of my life.” - Jonathan, 10 years old, Script to Stage student of Young Storytellers complete their script of teachers noticed an improvement in the 100% and see it brought to life on stage 95% writing skills of their students of teachers noticed an improvement in of parents saw increased confidence in their classroom participation and academic children sharing their creative ideas 96% confidence 94% of Young Storytellers felt more confident of Young Storytellers felt more creative in their writing abilities and used what they 96% 92% learned in English class $885,831 Volunteer Instruction Value “He couldn’t look me in the eye and barely spoke our first two weeks. At the end, his last words were, ‘I’ll never forget you for being a good friend.” - Jacquie, Script to Stage mentor Our Demographics “My favorite thing about this program was that I got to explain my feelings.” - A middle school student Why are students selected for Script to Stage? “You helped my daughter express her innermost feelings. She is currently being bullied, and I had no idea that her script was about what she is going through. Thank you so much for helping her bring to light what she and other children are going through.” - A Young Storytellers parent Our Schools Elementary Middle school high school YS Headquarters Elementary School Middle School 32nd Street Elementary School McKinley Elementary School Audubon Middle School Beethoven Elementary School Melrose Avenue Elementary School Byrd Middle School Benjamin Franklin Elementary School Micheltorena Street Elementary School Salvador B. Castro Middle School Betty Plascencia Elementary School New Roads Elementary School Gaspar De Portola Middle School Bridges Academy Nora Sterry Elementary School Harry Bridges Span School Broadway Elementary School Overland Avenue Elementary School Hollenbeck Middle School Canfield Avenue Elementary School P.S. 63 William McKinley (New York, NY) Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Middle School Carthay Center Elementary School P.S. 111 Adolph S. Oches (New York, NY) Le Conte Middle School Castle Heights Elementary School P.S. 125 Ralph Bunche (New York, NY) Jordan Middle School Cheremoya Avenue Elementary School Palms Elementary School James Madison Middle School Coldwater Canyon Elementary School Para Los Niños Charter Elementary School Mark Twain Middle School Crescent Heights Elementary School Playa Del Rey Elementary School Nimitz Middle School Daniel Webster Elementary School (San Francisco, CA) Providencia Elementary School Alfred Bernhard Nobel Middle School Dawson Elementary School (Austin, TX) Richland Avenue Elementary School Northridge Middle School Disney Elementary School Rio Vista Elementary School NOW Academy Dolores Mission School Saturn Street Elementary School Olive Vista Middle School Edison Elementary School Santa Monica Boulevard Community Charter School Orchard Academies Edison Language Academy Saint Anne Elementary School Palms Middle School El Rincon Elementary School Selma Avenue Elementary School Sun Valley Magnet School Fairmont Elementary School (Denver, CO) Stevenson Elementary School Van Nuys Middle School Farragut Elementary School Thomas Edison Elementary School Stephen M. White Middle School Foster Elementary School Thomas Edison Elementary School Vinedale College Prep Academy Glenwood Elementary School Thomas Jefferson Elementary School (Little Rock, AR) Wilmington Middle School Grant Elementary School Union Avenue Elementary School Hertzel Elementary School Valley View Elementary School High School La Ballona Elementary School Vine Street Elementary School Langdon Elementary School Westminster Avenue Elementary