Search for Youthful Voices

The Florida Storytelling Association is about nurturing storytellers and expanding storytelling. Our Mission is to preserve, perpetuate and promote the art of storytelling in Florida by educating and encouraging tellers for entertainment and edification of story listeners, allowing individuals and cultures to sense the value of story and its sharing.

Our "Search for Youthful Voices" project is designed to encourage schools, libraries, story guild and other institutes to work with young people of first to twelfth grade levels in the development of storytelling skills and appreciation. We offer assistance and guidance to these groups to prepare the young people to select stories and tell them in an appropriate and pleasing manner.

Our storytelling contest is then open for the best of these tellers to submit a videotape of their performance of a story to FSA. After a blind judging using a rubric of standards, six winners are selected and awarded full scholarships to the FSA's Annual StoryCamp. There they are given the opportunity to share their winning story and also participate in a variety of storytelling workshops. They also experience concerts of stories by several nationally know professional storytellers and interact with hundreds of storytellers and story enthusiasts.

The impact of this program is that it introduces many youngsters to the art of storytelling. This ‘ill bring them (the teller) and their audiences (the listeners) much pleasure and enjoyment. But, it also has the added benefit of improving their skills in listening, reading and writing. There is improvement in their self-esteem and self-confidence too.

Once you get the storytelling going, there is no limit to where it may take you!

• FSA Youthful Voices Contest Guidelines
• Contest Rubric
• Download an Application [PDF format, 47K]
• Download a Contest Flyer [PDF format, 92K]

National Youth Storytelling Showcase (NYSS)

• "What You Can Do To Promote Youth Storytelling!" flyer [PDF format, 62K]
• NYSS Ballot Details (Scoring Rubric) [PDF format, 112K]
• National Torchbearers [PDF format, 72K]
• National Youth Storytelling Showcase website

National Storytelling Festival Youthful Voices

Click here for more information on Youthful Voices at the annual National Storytelling Festival.

Florida Festivals featuring Youth Tellers

• Kaleidoscope Festival, March 8, 2008
  Contact: Robert Rowen, 813-875-0511

• Ocala Storytelling Festival, April 18-19, 2008
  PO Box 6329, Ocala, FL 34478-6329
  Contact: 352-821-0298

• Tampa-Hillsborough County Storytelling Festival, April 12, 2008
  1420 N Tampa St, Tampa, FL 33602
  Contact: Jody or Kim, 813-931-2106

• Alachua County Storytelling Festival, (2008 date TBA)

• Florida Folk Festival, May 23-25, 2008

To add your festival to this list, or to update your information, click here.

Kids Day at StoryCamp

Begun in March 2006, this program is offered on the Saturday of FSA StoryCamp and is open to past members of FSA Youthful Voices, story clubs, or any young person ages 9 to 18. Workshops, special activities and a concert bring coaches, parents and kids together. Projects such as the 2006 Butterfly Release and The Story Box Project will be featured at each camp.

For information concerning costs and programs, click here.

Florida StoryGroups Who Welcome Youth Tellers

• Broward Storytellers
  Plantation, FL
  Contact: Shelly Nidetz
   
• Miami Storytellers Guild
  5101 SW 65th Ave, Miami, FL 33155
  Contact: Louise Gramling, 305-444-7388
   
• Ocali Storytelling Guild
  15620 SE 150th St, Weirsdale, FL 32195
  Contact: Taryn Evans, 352-821-0298
   
• Project Imagination
  450 S Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801
  Contact: Mitchell O'Rear, 407-514-4885
   
• Sandcastle Storytellers
  PO Box 184, Lake Helen, FL 32744
  Contact: Peter or Sherril Giachetti
   
• Seaside Story Spinners
  2385 Orange Blossom Dr, Naples, FL 34109
  Contact: Pamela Moore, 239-593-0870
   
• Storytellers of Central Florida
  5574 Curry Ford Rd # C-7, Orlando, FL 33822
  Contact: Sam Ryan, 407-482-8815
  or Robin Schulte, 407-977-2917
   
• Tale Tellers of St. Augustine
  PO Box 1343, St. Augustine, FL 32085
  Contact: Shirley Bryce, 904-829-8711
   
• Tampa Bay Storytellers' Guild
  Contact: Bettylou Rosen, 727-785-3041

To add your StoryGroup to this list, or to update your information, click here.

Youth Storytelling Clubs

Story Clubs are programs existing in schools, libraries, and FSA StoryGroups. Each club is unique in its operation but is dedicated to CREATE story activities for young people. Training is offered to the adults through the StoryLabs and The Notebook for coaches, parents and mentors. Efforts are made to network clubs and ideas so that more opportunities are forthcoming. If you have a club in your community or wish to create a club, contact the YV Program of FSA.

List of Florida Youth Storytelling Clubs

• FSA Youth StoryTroupe
  Contact: Emily Harris
   
• Tampa-Hillsborough County Youth Storytelling Ambassadors
  1420 N Tampa St, Tampa, FL 33602
  Contact: Louise Wilt
   
• Tales to Tell Youth Storytelling Club
  meets 2nd Thursday of each month
  at the Ocala Headquarters Library, Ocala, FL
  Contact: Jeremy Evans, 352-408-5400

To add your youth storytelling club to this list, or to update your information, click here.