Young Storytellers
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| Young Storytellers | |
|---|---|
| Name | Young Storytellers |
| Type | Nonprofit arts education |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Area served | United States |
Young Storytellers Young Storytellers is a Los Angeles–based nonprofit arts organization focused on creative writing and storytelling programs for youth. Founded in the late 1990s, it operates programs that connect professional screenwriters, actors, and teaching artists with students in public schools and community centers across California and other U.S. locations. The organization works alongside cultural institutions, entertainment companies, and philanthropic foundations to produce student-authored narratives that are performed by professional actors.
History
The organization emerged during a period of arts nonprofit growth alongside institutions such as The Walt Disney Company, DreamWorks Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. as Los Angeles arts philanthropy expanded. Early initiatives drew on models used by Tobias Picker, Augusta Read Thomas, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and community arts efforts linked to California Community Foundation and Annenberg Foundation grants. Initial pilot programs partnered with Los Angeles Unified School District sites and community partners like LA County Arts Commission, The Music Center, Skirball Cultural Center, and neighborhood arts groups in Boyle Heights, Watts, and Koreatown. Over time, the group scaled programs during the administrations of mayors including Richard Riordan and Antonio Villaraigosa and collaborated on municipal initiatives connected with Los Angeles County cultural plans and statewide arts policy dialogues involving Arts Council England-styled exchanges and grantmakers such as William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Program expansions paralleled collaborations with entertainers and screenwriters from studios linked to Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Netflix, HBO, CBS, and NBCUniversal. Partnerships with educational advocates like Linda Darling-Hammond, arts researchers from ERIC (education database), and evaluation firms affiliated with RAND Corporation informed program development. The organization later established satellite programming in cities influenced by arts networks from San Francisco Arts Commission, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.
Mission and Programs
The declared mission emphasizes youth voice through scripted storytelling and performance, integrating professional mentorship from writers associated with projects at Pixar Animation Studios, Illumination Entertainment, Blue Sky Studios, A24, Focus Features, and independent film companies. Core programs include in-school residencies inspired by playwriting and screenwriting curricula used at institutions like UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, USC School of Cinematic Arts, and community conservatories. Supplemental offerings mirror approaches from organizations such as 826 National, Young Playwrights Inc., StoryCorps, 826LA, and The Moth by emphasizing oral history, improvisation, and dramatic structure.
Workshops pair K–12 students with professional mentors recruited from guilds and unions including Writers Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America, and members of Pen America. Program formats include scripted performance showcases comparable to productions at Pantages Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and youth ensembles associated with Los Angeles Youth Orchestra and Young Musicians Foundation. Special projects have tied to observances such as National Arts in Education Week and cultural festivals like LA Film Festival.
Organizational Structure and Funding
Governance typically involves a board with leaders drawn from philanthropy, entertainment, and nonprofit management similar to trustees at Guggenheim Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ford Foundation, and corporate sponsors modeled after Apple Inc., Google LLC, Amazon.com, Inc., and Warner Music Group. Staffing blends teaching artists, program directors, development officers, and evaluation staff, paralleling organizational charts at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Save the Children, and arts nonprofits such as Los Angeles Philharmonic education departments.
Funding streams mix philanthropic grants from foundations like Annenberg Foundation, Broad Foundation, California Wellness Foundation, corporate sponsorships from studios and tech firms, individual donor cultivation resembling strategies used by United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and earned revenue through ticketed performances and workshops. Fiscal oversight aligns with nonprofit standards employed by auditors who work with clients including KIPP Foundation and Teach For America.
Impact and Evaluation
Program outcomes are evaluated using qualitative and quantitative metrics, drawing on methodologies from researchers at RAND Corporation, Social Policy Research Associates, ERIC (education database), Johns Hopkins University, and arts evaluation frameworks used by National Endowment for the Arts and California Arts Council. Reported impacts include improvements in narrative writing, oral communication, and socio-emotional skills, with analyses comparing cohorts in partnership with school districts like Los Angeles Unified School District, San Diego Unified School District, and San Francisco Unified School District. External evaluations have been commissioned from firms with histories of assessing programs for AmeriCorps, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and U.S. Department of Education grant recipients.
Alumni trajectories have entered creative industries connected to Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Studios, and independent theater companies such as Center Theatre Group, East West Players, and Geffen Playhouse.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Collaborative networks include partnerships with cultural institutions like The Getty, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and universities such as University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Berkeley, and California State University, Long Beach. Corporate and media partners have included studios and networks tied to Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, and production companies linked to filmmakers represented by Creative Artists Agency and William Morris Endeavor.
Educational alliances mirror those formed with CalArts, Columbia University School of the Arts, and community organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, YMCA, and neighborhood arts councils. Philanthropic collaborators have included LA2028 Foundation and municipal grant programs administered by Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.
Recognition and Awards
The organization and its programs have received recognition from city cultural commissions and awards analogous to those bestowed by National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, Emmy Awards for community outreach initiatives, and industry commendations similar to honors from Producers Guild of America and Writers Guild Foundation. Individual mentors and alumni have been acknowledged in forums and festivals such as Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, SXSW, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and civic awards from offices of mayors including Eric Garcetti.