Raising Voices: Creating Youth Storytelling Groups and Troupes

by Judy Sima, Kevin D. Cordi

Anyone who wants to start a youth storytelling group or troupe will find a wealth of practical information and inspiration in this guide. Written by two veteran storytellers and storytelling group leaders, this book takes you step by step through the entire process of planning, starting, managing, and growing your storytelling group-even up through taking the show on the road. Complete instructions for teaching storytelling skills and performing are accompanied by dozens of reproducible activities and practical tips-from how to recruit members and how to adapt stories for telling to what to wear when performing, and fundraising ideas. Storytelling is a powerful teaching and learning tool. It increases literacy and language skills, builds creativity and imagination, instills confidence, encourages cooperation and collaboration-and it's great fun for everyone! Share the gift of storytelling with young people and watch them grow. Grades 4-12.

270 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2003

Reviews

[Erin Sterling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun and thorough book that could be used as a guidebook or manual for how to start a youth storytelling group, although it could be adapted to adults as well and used for simple programming. There are four sections in the book: Getting Started, Growing Your Storytelling Group, Performing and Beyond, and Storytelling Resources. I think the middle two sections will be particularly pertinent to those just starting out in storytelling who may be asked to create a program or workshop but who aren’t necessarily starting a regular storytelling troupe. There are great icebreaker games with a storytelling twist, clear directions for how to choose stories, remember, and rehearsing stories, plenty of templates on everything from setting goals and objectives to giving feedback to audience participation. I think this book would be particularly useful if I were starting a troupe without much experience before because it’s clearly laid out so that anyone with the spark or passion to begin could do it. There are even fundraising ideas and field trip permission forms!