Program Details
Their Stories, Our Voices Youth Griot Program is a year-long commitment that will train a group of high school students to tell and share the stories of local Black history-makers. Through a six-week intensive summer program and continuing with bi-monthly Saturday sessions throughout the 2025-2026 school year, students will learn from Foundation’s Griot-in-Residence Ms. Gwendolyn Reese, as well as other professional journalists, photographers, videographers, and content creators.
- Participants will receive a $1000 stipend for their time and effort
- Student work will be showcased at a Juneteenth Exhibition at the Foundation’s Center for Health Equity in June 2026
The application is currently closed to new applications. Please email Dr. Bilan Joseph at Bilan@healthystpete.foundation with any questions.
Meet the Youth Griots
Marques Clark, Jr.
9th Grade, Osceola Fundamental High School
“I applied to the Youth Griot Program, to learn more about the program and the history of my community…I am hoping to learn how to be more expressive and vocal about what is important to me and my peers…I am excited to meet new people and explore new opportunities by participating in activities in the community.”
Malia Council
10th Grade, Boca Ciega High School
“I believe that in preserving history will help to educate the younger generation after me, and with more knowledge on the back stories of what happened to our ancestors will help to make all of us better people for the future.”
Santiago DeMora
10th Grade, St. Petersburg Collegiate High School
“I want to gain more confidence in expressing myself without letting anxiety control my words. Moreover, I’m looking forward to building new friendships and connections within my community, which, to me, is the main purpose of this program.”
Nadia Hardy
9th Grade, Lakewood High School
“I am excited to explore storytelling across different medium like photography and understand how it shapes our culture.”
Ke’veah Marion
9th Grade, Lakewood High School
“The chance to learn more about my community’s history, amplify important stories, and contribute to shaping the future through storytelling is truly inspiring.”
Kevontae Norris
8th Grade, Bethel Community Christian School
“I am hoping to learn a lot about our culture and black history. I’m excited to learn new things from what I am use to.”
Marley Poole
11th Grade, St. Petersburg Collegiate STEM High School
“…the more I learn about the past, the more I can work towards improving the future. This knowledge can shape my perspectives and actions in today’s world by giving me insight on the things that worked in the past and the things that caused harm. I can learn from past mistakes and work to better improve my community, which has the potential to bring about greater change.”
Kenadi Smith
9th Grade, Boca Ciega High School
“I applied to Their Stories Our Youth Griot Program because I wanted to know more about my community and what happens in the world. I also care a lot about black history. I am excited to participate in this program because not only is it an opportunity for me to meet other teenagers like me, but it’s a great opportunity to learn more and strengthen my knowledge.”
Michael Walker
9th Grade, Gibbs High School
“I applied to this program because we need to know about where we came from and what people did in history and what kind of example they set for us today.”
Naomi Webb
10th Grade, St. Petersburg Collegiate High School
“It is important to learn and preserve history because history needs to live on. We need to know our history to avoid repeating mistakes and learning from them. It’s also important to learn the stories of ancestors and bring light to the things they fought for. The knowledge of our past can help improve our future and let us be more grateful for the things we have today.”
Caleb Williams
11th Grade, Bethel Community Christian School
“As a community, nation, and world, we are constantly repeating the mistakes of the past. However, the purpose of learning and preserving history is to know the signs that mistakes are being repeated… This is how knowledge of history can shape one’s actions in today’s world: by recognizing the patterns of yesterday’s mistakes to create tomorrow’s solutions.”
Important Dates and Deadlines*
- Application window: November 1 – December 20, 2024
- Summer programming: June 9 – July 18, 2025, 9 AM – 2 PM
- Fall programming: August 2025 – June 2026 (2nd and 4th Saturday each month, 10 AM – 12 PM)
- Exhibition showcase: June 19, 2026
*Dates are subject to change
Eligibility Requirements
- 8th – 11th grade high school students
- Complete and submit an application by December 20, 2024
- Must reside or attend school in St. Petersburg
- 3.0 GPA or higher
- 2 letters of recommendation
Frequently Asked Questions
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.