Young Storytellers - Raising Voices One Story at a Time

K-12 STEAM education

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

The Issues:
Arts Education Deficit: There is a significant deficit in arts education within K-12 public schools in California, with only a small fraction of schools having dedicated arts teachers. This gap deprives students of essential creative learning opportunities that can enhance their overall educational experience.
Under-resourced Schools: Many LAUSD public schools, particularly those serving low-income and predominantly BIPOC communities, are under-resourced. These schools lack the funding and infrastructure to provide comprehensive arts education, which is crucial for the holistic development of students.
Trauma Recovery through Arts: Young Storytellers acknowledges the impact of systemic racism and the global pandemic on students' mental and emotional well-being. We see arts education as a therapeutic and empowering tool that can help students process their experiences, express their emotions, and recover from trauma.

We are working to supplement an under-resourced public school system that has failed to adequately provide for the needs of low-income students who are majority BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and historically marginalized by offering unique arts education programming to targeted LAUSD schools. Young Storytellers provides everything needed to deliver programming – from curriculum to volunteer training.
The fifth-grade Elementary program is volunteer-led and offered at school on campus during unstructured time. Though the program is not part of the classroom curriculum, it aligns with California’s English Language Arts Standards to complement what students are learning in class. Volunteers are trained and provided with the tools necessary to conduct the program at their school, and schoolteachers provide supervision. The middle and high school programs differ from the elementary program because they are provided as part of the English class curriculum for the semester. The entire class participates in the middle and high school programs, which are teacher-led. We train schoolteachers to deliver programming to complement and enhance their approach to instruction.
All in-person programs culminate with a live presentation of students’ work at our annual Big Show. Professional actors who have auditioned for their parts bring scripts to life as they perform onstage in front of peers, families, and guests. This is atransformative moment in their development.

If our work is successful, Los Angeles County will see a transformative impact on youth who participate. Our vision is to empower every young person to recognize and harness the power of their own story, leading to a more empathetic, inclusive, and equitable community. By providing robust literary and performing arts programs, we aim to foster creativity, confidence, and communication skills in students. Over the long term, our plans include scaling our programs to reach more schools, especially in under-resourced areas, and expanding our online Toolkit for nationwide implementation on an even broader scale. This will ensure that more young people can benefit from our proven approach to storytelling and self-expression. The ultimate impact will be a generation of empowered individuals who contribute positively to their communities, advocating for justice and understanding through the power of their unique voices.

We measure the impact of our program through participant surveys, educator feedback, and community input. Evidence of success includes increased student confidence, improved writing skills, and enhanced social-emotional learning. For instance, 75% of elementary students reported an increased interest in writing, and 71% felt more confident sharing creative ideas. Additionally, 84% indicated that the program helped them establish and maintain relationships. Middle school students also showed gains, with 66% reporting greater confidence in their writing abilities. Qualitative data, like student and mentor testimonials highlighting personal growth and creative expression, complemented these results. Our comprehensive data collection and analysis confirm that our program effectively addresses the lack of arts education and supports the development of critical life skills in underserved youth. This evidence-based approach enables us to refine and expand our offerings to maximize our impact.