BYU Humanities Center hosts the National Youth Storytelling Festival.
Remember that one adult—perhaps a parent, grandparent, or teacher—who used to read to you using all the fun voices and gestures that made the story come alive? For many people, that person inspired their love of reading. At National Youth Storytelling, the children are learning to do the voices and gestures. On September 5 and 6, 2023, the BYU Humanities Center gave nine children, elementary through high school age, an opportunity to share their storytelling skills by hosting the National Youth Storytelling Festival.
National Youth Storytelling, previously known as the National Youth Storytelling Olympics, is an organization aimed at promoting and teaching the art of storytelling to young people. Each year, children from elementary to high school age submit videos of their storytelling performances to the organization. Judges choose the best storytellers to participate in a series of showcase and festival events where they perform live and learn more about the art and value of storytelling.
At BYU, each participant, or “teller,” presented a memorized short story for the audience and shared their storytelling talents through vocal inflection, tone, and body movements. One teller even brought his violin and wove music into his story, “The Lucky Few,” about a violin player during the California gold rush. Several of the participants told original tales of their own creation, some of which have even been published. Many stories centered around characters who needed to learn to change their minds, ask questions, or not underestimate someone.
After the presentations, Professor Rex Nielson (Luso-Afro-Brazilian Literature and Culture), director of the Humanities Center, led a brief discussion about why stories matter. He said, “We need stories to help us figure out how to solve problems, how to respond to problems.” He argued that stories also give us the opportunity to imagine a better world and experience different perspectives. Audience members contributed with observations about the themes of the various stories, especially the theme of humility. The discussion also touched on the idea that stories can become a part of us, even if they come from someone else.
Stories and storytelling are a fundamental part of the humanities, and the young tellers at National Youth Storytelling perfectly demonstrate why storytelling is so valuable to our society. As Ginger Parkinson, National Youth Storytelling’s showcase guru, said, “Storytelling is the best part of the humanities.”
Get involved and learn more about National Youth Storytelling on their website.