After reading about The Story Project in a brochure, I was very eager to get involved. I called and spoke with the director Todd Felderstein who welcomed me into an amazing program at The Boys and Girls Club of Burbank, CA. Over the next few months, I met every Wednesday afternoon with a group of awesome 6th graders and an incredibly warm and professional writer/director who led the group from concept phase to film production.These young people were incredible leaders and listeners. They were empowered every step of the way and Glen (the writer/directer) honored their decision-making abilities and creativity. I had so much fun connecting with this incredible team. I look forward to participating in future projects!
Review from Guidestar
I work for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area at Gus Garcia Middle School, where we utilized The Story Project during our after school program for about a year. I was always impressed with the instructor's preparation and enthusiasm for the projects at hand. The program really allowed for students to express themselves through writing and art, an opportunity not afforded to kids in this community very often. Students learned first hand from professional artists how to express themselves, and were given concrete projects to work towards.
Seeing the kid's beam with pride after showing off some of their work was the best final product any adult in my position could ask for. I would not hesitate to recommend The Story Project to any organization or school looking for avenues to expose their students to the profession/interest area of "Story Making".
"During a 6 week summer program, The Story Project gave an amazing opportunity to 18 Howard County Middle School students to explore the world of writing through their own creative eye. By the middle of July, these children were hard at work as a team, defining what the theme of the problem was going to be in their Story Project. Within their unified effort, they identified the characters, blocked each act, and worked on props and costumes. It was a thrill to be involved in this empowering experience for these children and to see the excitement in their eyes as they shared their final production of their plays in front of their family and friends." Julie Egert Site Project Coordinator
I am the Teacher librarian at Mark Twain Middle School in Los Angeles and I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with the kind folks of The Story Project for over a year. The lives of many of our students have been greatly enriched by The Story Project and their mentors. Many of our children are English language learners, but they were able to interact with experts (often celebrities) from the entertainment field who helped the students create a professional quality movie. The interactions and experience that The Story Project provided for our kids will stay with them for a life time. I saw Todd and Bethany bring out the confident author in the most insecure boys and girls. It was often moving. The Story Project is now a celebrated part of our school community. Long Live TSP!!! -Mr. Clifton Winnard