Stories Alive!

The Deborah D. Booker Community Center (DDBCC) Stories Alive!!!, is an interactive event which began in 2016 to encourage collaboration, mentoring, and imagination between the elementary aged and teen participants in the Allegheny County Housing Authority’s Sheldon Park and neighboring communities, creating a ReMakeLearning opportunity which resulted in a production delivery of Stories Alive!!!, in 2016, 2017, 2018, and coming soon in 2019. In 2016, a reading program began in the community to encourage the children to improve their reading skills. Since 2016, each year, a story is selected by the group of approximately 10-15 youth and 10-15 teens to be brought to life by recreating the characters in the story and making props and/or life sized puppets, and creating, choreographing, and learning the accompanying movements for the story. When the youth and teens began working together and building up their excitement for the story, imaginations came alive. The teens guided the youth in the physical re-creation of the story and they all worked together sharing ideas and talents, and skills. In 2017, the program grew, featuring art, maker, and youth voice activities. The goal of the “Stories Alive!!!” program is to provide interactive learning, collaboration, mentoring experience, and creative STEM activities for children and teens that enhance the social, emotional, physical and recreational functioning of elementary, middle and high school aged children.