Discover how Saint Louis Story Stitchers combines hip hop and creative youth development to build holistic wellness in young people.
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT
Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: .ZACK, 3224 Locust
Seating is limited.
Free. Lunch provided. 16-25-year-olds are encouraged to apply!
Saint Louis Story Stitchers uses Creative Youth Development to build holistic wellness in young people. The Summit builds youth empowerment by exploring 5 elements of hip hop: DJ-ing, Graffiti, MC-ing, Breaking, and Knowledge.
Registration Link: https://storystitchers.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/youth-empowerment-summit
VIP RECEPTION, AWARDS, ALBUM RELEASE PARTY!
Location: .ZACK, 3224 Locust
Date: August 10, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tickets $100 on MetroTix
Includes 1 hour of beer, wine, beverages, appetizer buffet by TURN, DJ UP!, admission to the entire evening, and DJ UP!
Time: 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Awards and Album Release Party!
Tickets $25 on MetroTix and at the door
Includes cash bar, cookies by TURN, party atmosphere, awards and recognitions, video, and live music highlights from 10 Years of Art at Story Stitchers!
MetroTix Link: https://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/saint-louis-story-stitchers-10-year-anniversary-celebration
Event Landing Page: https://storystitchers.org/10-year-anniversary-celebration/
Sponsor Page: https://storystitchers.networkforgood.com/projects/221687-10-year-anniversary-celebration
Support 10 Years with $10 Campaign: https://storystitchers.networkforgood.com/projects/229126-support-10-years-with-10
10 Year Anniversary Celebration!
Over 10 years, Story Stitchers have collaborated with artists 16 to 83 years old on music, storytelling, neighborhood block party performances, public service announcement campaigns, and multi-year signature projects focusing efforts on high quality art and innovative youth violence prevention programs. Artists have built an archive of Black voices from 2014, through Ferguson and Michael Brown’s death, the Covid-19 pandemic, and through years of heartbreaking violence in our beautiful city to bring unheard voices to light. Together, with you, we are reshaping the future of our region through youth empowerment that builds from exposure and experiences in high quality artistic practice.
Our History
Once upon a time there was a stitcher who liked to embroider stories from the newspaper. One day she was stitching about two sisters who were shot on their porch in University City. One sister died. Two brothers were arrested for the crime. The stitcher reflected on the power of stitching throughout history; of the Aids quilt and quilts on the Underground Railroad. She determined to join with others to create change. In August 2013 eight artists gathered in Old North St. Louis and founded the Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective — to make change. On December 24, 2014, Saint Louis Story Stitchers was incorporated as a charitable organization in the Great State of Missouri.
Since that time, we have made great strides, working with people to stop the violence and to empower youth to make a change for Saint Louis through creative youth development.
Accomplishments by the numbers since 2014 include —
- 8 founders
- 800 teens and young adults have participated in free programs
- 105 artist mentors
- 37 board members
- 185 public performances to 62,000 live audience members
- 30 songs written
- 2 books, 1 game, and 1 portfolio published
- 3 plays written and produced
- 15,000 hours open for youth
- 4 studios including The Center
- 30 Saint Louis neighborhoods visited
- 153 podcasts published
- Revenue growth from $59,324 in 2015 to $701,593 in 2023
- In 10 years, with your help, we have brought $792,795 national dollars home to STL to support young artists and artists of color in building bridges to peace for all.
- Local awards include Proclamations from both Mayor Lyda Krewson and Mayor Tishaura Jones for youth empowerment and service to the community, Pitchin’ In for Community Award from St. Louis Cardinals and Bally Sports.
- Local grant awards through the 10 years include City of St. Louis Department of Public Safety, St. Louis Mental Health Board, St. Louis Area Violence Prevention Commission, Cardinals Care, YouthBridge Community Foundation, Trio Foundation of St. Louis, Tegna Foundation, Ameren Equity in the Arts, Arts & Education Council, Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund, Deaconess Foundation, and Kranzberg Arts Foundation, where Story Stitchers is a proud resident organization.
- State and regional grant awards include Missouri Arts Council, Missouri Humanities Council, Regional Arts Commission, and Mid-America Arts Alliance.
- National awards include 3 grants from the National Endowment for the Arts totaling $70,000, a 2021 Accelerator Award for $500,000 from The Lewis Prize for Music, $73,611 from the CDC Foundation, $25,000 from the Obama Foundation, and $30,000 from The Charity Pot.
About Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective
Saint Louis Story Stitchers is a nationally recognized Artists Collective known for high quality art and innovative youth violence prevention programs.
Story Stitchers is committed to placing youth at the center of the work both in identifying topics for exploration as well as the methods for engagement. This approach builds a community of youth and professional artists who respect one another. Gun violence continues to be a pressing public health crisis that consumes the attention of the engaged youth, and artistic expression helps youth work through the pain and loss they have experienced.
Stitchers collect stories, reframe and retell them through art, writing and performance to promote understanding, civic pride, intergenerational relationships and literacy. Projects create a platform for community engagement through an artistic lens and with it the Saint Louis Story Stitchers work to shift perceptions and realities and bring hope to the Saint Louis community. Our goal is to promote a better educated, more peaceful and caring region through storytelling.
In 2023, Saint Louis Story Stitchers opened The Center for creative youth development in keeping with the vision of Stitchers Youth Council for creating a healthier and happier region through storytelling and the arts. Youth ages 16-25 may join for free by filling out a form: https://storystitchers.wufoo.com/forms/zeinv521f4w9ez/
#CreativeYouthDevelopment #HipHopCulture #YouthWellness #Empowerment #StoryStitchers
