Their Stories, Our Voices Youth Griot Program

Their Stories, Our Voices Youth Griot Program is a free, yearlong commitment that will prepare and train 20 high school students in telling and sharing the stories of their community. Specifically, during a 6-week summer intensive and in bi-monthly Saturday sessions throughout the academic year, students will learn from our local Griot-in-Residence, Gwendolyn Reese, in addition to professional journalists, photographer/videographers, and content creators about how to capture and share the stories of local black history-makers.

Participants will publish their bodies of work through a medium that will be widely shared and circulated, and their portfolios will be showcased on Juneteenth at the Foundation’s Center for Health Equity.

The application opens November 1, 2024, and closes at 11:59 p.m. December 20, 2024.

After applications are submitted, a selection committee will identify and reach out to the top 30 candidates for follow-up interviews. After the interviews, the same committee will select up to 20 candidates to participate in the program.

All candidates will be notified about their status by mid-February of 2025.

Interviews will be held virtually on Saturday, February 1st, and Saturday, February 8th, 2025. Times will vary for each candidate.

The finalists will be notified on February 14, 2025.

Up to 20 students will be selected to participate in this program.

Students will receive a $1,000 stipend for their participation in Their Stories, Our Voices Youth Griot Program. Payments will be made in installments upon completing the summer, fall, and spring sessions of the program.

The summer session begins June 9, 2025, and will end July 18, 2025.

The fall session will begin August 9, 2025, and will continue bi-monthly (the second and fourth Saturday of each month) until December 13, 2025.

The spring session will begin January 10, 2026, and will continue bi-monthly (the second and fourth Saturday of each month) until May 23, 2026.

Yes, June 6th and June 13th will be used to prepare for the Exhibition. Details about the showcase will be released closer to the date of the event.

Students will be permitted to miss no more than 5 days without being dismissed from the program. Because this is a paid opportunity and due to the caliber of this program, the expectation is for all scholars to participate in every session. However, we offer some flexibility for extenuating circumstances that may prevent a student from participating in every session. This will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Yes! Participation in this program can be used towards the 100 Paid Work or Combination of Volunteer/Paid hours for the Bright Futures Scholarship.

A teacher, school administrator, coach, employer, or guidance counselor can write a letter of recommendation for you. You will need two letters of recommendation. On the application, simply include their names and email addresses. We will then contact them via email and provide the details and requirements for writing a letter. They will in turn email our team directly with their letters. We suggest you ask them to let you know when they have submitted their letter on your behalf. Please note that all letters must be emailed back to us by the application deadline of December 20, 2024.