NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD

J. J. Abrams J. J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity... Writer, Producer Paul Cummins President, New Visions Foundation Gary Knell Gary Knell Gary Evan Knell is an American broadcast executive who is the president of Sesame Workshop and effective December 1, 2011, began serving as president and CEO of NPR.-Early life:... CEO, Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop , is a Worldwide American non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children's programs that have run on public broadcasting around the world... Norman Lear Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude... Writer, Producer, Activist McG McG Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer.... Film Director, Producer Ryan Murphy Ryan Murphy (television creator) Ryan Murphy is an American film and television screenwriter, director, and producer. He is best known for creating/co-creating the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Background:... Writer, Producer, Director Peter Schlessel Producer/Film Consultant

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Pamela Colburn, Chairman, Executive Director Partner, Europlay Capital Advisors Mikkel Bondesen, Vice Chair Fuse Entertainment Chris Adams Participant Productions Participant Productions Participant Media is an American film and television production company which finances and produces socially relevant films and documentaries. The company is described as being politically active: its films are typically based on current events and topical subjects and presented in such a way to... Scott Alderton Partner, Stubbs, Alderton, Markiles Andrew Barrett Writer Brad Falchuk Brad Falchuk Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:... Writer, Nip/Tuck Nip/Tuck Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy... Jay Gibson Writer Rob Mandel The Management Group Jamie Tarses Producer Richard Weitz The Endeavor Agency

The Young Storytellers Foundation (YSF) is dedicated to developing literacy

Literacy

Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...

, self-expression and self-esteem

Self-esteem

Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...

 in elementary school children. The Young Storytellers Program currently serves elementary school students in Southern California, including the cities of Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, Culver City, Santa Monica

Santa Mônica

Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...

, and Glendale. YSF targets Title 1 schools; these are schools and school districts with the highest concentrations of poverty in which academic performance tends to be low and the obstacles to raising performance are the greatest. What was started in 1997 with ten children at one elementary school has reached over 2,000 children as of 2006.

History

Young Storytellers Foundation was founded in 2003 in Los Angeles by Pamela Colburn and Jay Gibson. The foundation was organized to support an in-school mentoring program which was begun as a grassroots effort in 1997 - the brainchild of three screenwriters at the American Film Institute

American Film Institute

The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...

; Mikkel Bondesen, Brad Falchuk

Brad Falchuk

Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...

, and Andrew Barrett.

Upon learning about cutbacks in funding for creative arts programs in the Los Angeles public schools

Los Angeles Unified School District

Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...

, Bondesen enlisted the help of Falchuk and Barrett, and together they developed the Young Storytellers Program (YSP). These three writers developed a six-week, one hour per week curriculum. Together with seven additional writers, and school principal Sharon Langman, they offered the first Young Storytellers Program session at the Playa Del Rey School in Venice, California.

The program was an immediate success. The original mentors recruited new volunteers, and slowly they expanded the program, adding one or two schools each semester. Despite its early successful launch in local schools around the Los Angeles area, YSP was a loose-knit, organization of friends - its growth was limited and its survival was unsure.

In order to properly raise funds and ensure the integrity, stability, success, and longevity of the Young Storytellers Program, Pamela Colburn and Jay Gibson, two long-time mentors, established The Young Storytellers Foundation as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

  in 2003.

Mission and Objectives

The Young Storytellers Foundation offers a means of self-expression to kids at a time when most public schools have fewer and fewer opportunities for artistic and creative activities as part of the curriculum. YSF's belief is a simple one: that every child has natural storytelling

Storytelling

Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...

 ability; and that, through the expression and celebration of the talent and imagination that exists in every child, they can discover their own unique and special voice, and with it a confidence and pride that will last their entire lives.

The Program

In each school that offers the program, YSF pair 10 elementary school students with 10 creative professionals – all volunteers, who, over the course of eight weekly meetings, guide and encourage the students as they imagine, develop and write their own short screenplay

Screenplay

A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...

. The philosophy is to welcome each student into the program as the talented, capable and creative artist they are - from the first moment they walk into the classroom. Each mentor

Mentor

In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...

 serves only as a facilitator; the student is the storyteller – of every idea, plot, character, and word. By encouraging and coaching, mentors reveal the young writers inherent talent, giving them the opportunity to fully explore and express their individual creative voices.

At the end of the eight-week session, professional actors, all volunteers, join students and mentors in staging "The Big Show," a spirited staged reading of each script for an audience of family, teachers and friends. Before each Big Show, the students meet each of the actors and each student selects the cast for their own story. After the show, the young writers take a final bow before a much-deserved standing ovation.

This final step brings the community together to celebrate each child’s creativity. The positive effect of the program on the self-esteem, social behavior, and academic life of each student is truly remarkable.

The program has also been adapted for summer camps. For a number of years, Young Storytellers mentors have volunteered to run the program at The Painted Turtle

The Painted Turtle

The Painted Turtle is a camp located near Lake Elizabeth in Lake Hughes, California. The camp is for children who are faced with life threatening and chronic illnesses, Many of these children would not have the opportunity to have a camping experience due to their illness.-History:The Painted...

, a camp for children who are terminally or chronically ill.

The YSF scripts have been brought to life by actors including Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry (actor)

Matthew Langford Perry is a Canadian-American actor and comedian, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Chandler Bing on the popular, long-running NBC television sitcom Friends...

 (Friends), Hank Azaria

Hank Azaria

Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...

 (Mad About You, The Simpsons, Huff), Tate Donovan

Tate Donovan

Tate Buckley Donovan is an American actor. He is known for his role in the FX drama Damages, as Tom Shayes, and for his role as Jimmy Cooper in the American teen drama television series The O.C....

, Adam Brody

Adam Brody

Adam Jared Brody is an American film and television actor and part time musician. He began his career in 1995, appearing on Gilmore Girls and other series, and subsequently came to fame for his role as Seth Cohen on The O.C. Brody later appeared in several film roles, including Mr. & Mrs...

, Kelly Rowan

Kelly Rowan

Kelly Rowan is a Canadian television and film actress and former fashion model. She is best known for portraying Kirsten Cohen on The O.C.-Early life:...

, Rachel Bilson

Rachel Bilson

Rachel Sarah Bilson is an American actress. Bilson grew up in a California show business family, and made her television debut in 2003, subsequently becoming well known for playing Summer Roberts on the prime time drama series The O.C. Bilson made her film debut in the 2006 film The Last Kiss and...

, Ben McKenzie

Ben McKenzie

Ben McKenzie may refer to:* Benjamin McKenzie, American actor, star of the television program The OC* Ben McKenzie , one of the finalists in the 2007 series of Australian Idol...

, and Melinda Clarke

Melinda Clarke

Melinda Patrice Clarke is an American actress who has primarily worked in television. Clarke is best known for playing Faith Taylor on the daytime drama Days of our Lives, the manipulative and cunning Julie Cooper-Nichol on The O.C., and the professional dominatrix Lady Heather on CSI...

 (The O.C.), Anthony LaPaglia

Anthony LaPaglia

Anthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...

 (Without A Trace), Emily Procter

Emily Procter

-External links:...

 (CSI: Miami), Jason Ritter

Jason Ritter

Jason Morgan Ritter is an American actor, son of the late actor John Ritter and actress Nancy Morgan. Ritter is probably best known for his role as Kevin Girardi in the television series Joan of Arcadia and as Sean Walker in the NBC series The Event.-Early life:Ritter was born in Los Angeles,...

 (Joan of Arcadia), Jennifer Grant

Jennifer Grant

Jennifer Diane Grant is an American actress, the only child of actors Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon.Her parents divorced when she was only two years old. The reasons given for their divorce were that her father was unable to find his "perfect wife"; in addition, there was a thirty-five year age...

 (Beverly Hills, 90210), Melissa Joan Hart

Melissa Joan Hart

Melissa Joan Catherine Hart is an American actress, writer, television director, television producer, singer and businesswoman...

 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch), Fred Savage

Fred Savage

Fredrick Aaron "Fred" Savage is an American actor, director and producer of television and film.He is best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series The Wonder Years and as the grandson in The Princess Bride...

 (Austin Powers in Goldmember), Ron Perlman

Ron Perlman

Ronald N. "Ron" Perlman is an American television, film and voice over actor. He is known for having played Vincent in the TV series Beauty and the Beast , a Deathstroke figure known as Slade in the animated series Teen Titans, Clarence "Clay" Morrow in Sons of Anarchy, the comic book character...

 (Hellboy), Mary-Lynn Rajskub (24, Legally Blonde), Paget Brewster

Paget Brewster

Paget Valerie Brewster is an American actress. She is currently known for playing Special Agent Emily Prentiss on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds. In June 2010, it was said that her role on Criminal Minds would be reduced in the sixth season. In March 2011, Brewster's character left the series...

 (Huff, Criminal Minds), Billy Campbell

Billy Campbell

William Oliver "Billy" Campbell is an American film and television actor. In television, he is best known for his roles as Rick Sammler on Once and Again, as Det. Joey Indelli on Crime Story, as Jordan Collier on The 4400, and as Dr. Jon Fielding on the Tales of the City Miniseries...

 (Enough), Esai Morales

Esai Morales

Esai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...

 (NYPD Blue), Kelli Williams

Kelli Williams

Kelli Renee Williams is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Lindsay Dole on the Legal drama The Practice and as psychologist and deception expert Dr. Gillian Foster on Lie to Me....

 (The Practice), Gia Carides

Gia Carides

Gia Carides is an Australian actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Liz Holt in Strictly Ballroom, Susy Connor in Brilliant Lies, and Cousin Nikki in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.-Early life:...

 (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Constance Marie

Constance Marie

Constance Marie Lopez is an American actress. Known professionally as Constance Marie, she is known for her role as Angie Lopez on George Lopez and for her role as Marcella Quintanilla in the 1997 film Selena...

 (The George Lopez Show), Judy Greer

Judy Greer

Judy Greer is an American actress, known for portraying a string of supporting female characters, including Kitty Sanchez on the Fox series Arrested Development and Cheryl on the animated comedy series Archer...

 (13 Going on 30) and Cheri Oteri

Cheri Oteri

Cheri Oteri is an American comic actress, best known for her roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000.-Personal life:...

 (Saturday Night Live); as well as cast members and voice actors for such popular kids' programs as SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...

, Lizzie McGuire

Lizzie McGuire

Lizzie McGuire is an American teen sitcom which premiered on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001 and ended February 14, 2004. A total of 65 episodes were produced and aired. Its target demographic was preteens and adolescents...

, and Even Stevens

Even Stevens

Even Stevens is an American comedy television series that aired on Disney Channel with a total of three seasons and 65 episodes from June 17, 2000, to June 2, 2003...

.
'

Population Served

YSF runs its unique, 8-week program in over thirty schools each semester The students are in the 4th and 5th grades.

YSF focuses its efforts toward Title One Elementary Schools. In the Los Angeles area schools served by YSF, the general population breaks down as follows:

• Male: 50%
• Female: 50%

• African-American: 12.1%
• Asian/Pacific: 4.2%
• Latino: 71.9%
• White: 9.4%
• Other: 2.4%

Since the first session in 1997, the benefits of the Young Storytellers Foundation's program have been clear. Parents, school principals, and teachers attest to the fact that the Young Storytellers Program’s ability to offer personal attention, an unyielding belief in each child’s innate abilities, a nonjudgmental atmosphere for creativity, and a special celebration of each Young Storyteller’s achievement has a direct and substantial positive impact on each participant’s academic performance, test scores, attendance, social interaction, and self-esteem.

Staffing

The staff of the YSF consists of a full-time Executive Director, an Associate Director, a Program Director, and a Development Associate. The rest of our enthusiastic organization is made up of thousands of volunteer mentors and actors.

The program is run in each school by a volunteer Head Mentor and ten volunteer Mentors. Each mentor works one-on-one with a student for the duration of the eight-week program. Many of our mentors are creative professionals, and all are carefully screened and trained before they enter the classroom.

Supporters

YSF has received grants and donations from many philanthropic organizations including: The Eisner Foundation, The Endeavor Foundation, EIF

EIF

EIF stands for:* Echogenic intracardiac focus, a term related to an ultrasound exam* Eclaireurs israélites de France, a French Scouting organization* Edinburgh International Festival, a festival of performing arts...

, Sony Entertainment

Sony

, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....

, The Skoll Foundation

Skoll Foundation

The Skoll Foundation is a social entrepreneurship foundation based in Silicon Valley, California, with a mission to drive large-scale change by investing in, connecting, and celebrating social entrepreneurs and other innovators dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems...

, Participant Foundation (a donor advised fund at the California Community Foundation), Paul Newman Foundation

Paul Newman

Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...

 and the Louis Borick Family Foundation, as well as from many individual and corporate donors.

External links

• Young Storytellers Foundation - official website
• E!Online - article about YSF fundraiser
• NPR audio article - Gloria Hillard reports on the Young Storytellers Foundation
• NPR radio play - Day to Day presents a radio play written by a Young Storytellers student and starring Dustin Hoffman
  Dustin Hoffman
  Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....