Dear Friend, 

Welcome to our September newsletter! This month, we’re shining a light on the young people working together to build a better future.

In Zambia, students from 10 schools came together to share practical solutions to challenges facing their communities. In Ireland, a youth advisory panel is having their say on what the next edition of the newly funded Living Legends program will look like. As the academic year begins in the United States, trained university students are creating an environment where incoming first-year students can thrive.

From Lusaka to Limerick, young people are using stories to understand one another and build stronger communities. Their ideas and insights have the power to change the world. Here’s to the next generation!

Students Finding Solutions to Community Issues 

📍 Lusaka, Zambia

Last week, 200 students came together in Lusaka to celebrate the finale of this year’s Cities School Challenge—and to compete for a US$1,000 grant to solve a challenge facing their community.

Over the course of the six-month program, these incredible young people developed the skills to become creative, compassionate leaders. They worked side by side to examine their local environment, identify the challenges affecting their communities and collaborate on practical solutions.

After a large-scale interschool Story Exchange, students pitched their civic engagement solutions to a panel of expert judges. The winner, Lwengu Secondary School, will receive US$1,000 in funding to support the implementation of their project: a school garden. The garden will provide fresh vegetables and generate income to support vulnerable children in their community. The students plan to buy books and toiletries for children at Monze Mission Hospital. The project was inspired by a classmate who had spent time in the hospital and told a story about his experience as part of the project. 

Partnering with the University of Michigan

📍 Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Today, September 30, Narrative 4 will join the University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities and Michigan Public for 'The Stories We Carry'. Narrative 4 co-founder Colum McCann will join talk show host April Baer for a conversation on the power of storytelling, followed by a Community Story Exchange. The event also marks the beginning of a new campus initiative designed to train University of Michigan students to lead Story Exchanges throughout the academic year.

Colum McCann and April Baer

Supporting First-Year Students at Indiana University

📍 Indiana, United States

Our team in the USA recently trained student leaders at Indiana University as Narrative 4 Story Exchange facilitators. These student teaching assistants will bring the Story Exchange into the first-year experience, strengthening campus culture and building a deeper sense of connection for the Class of 2030!

Living Legends 2.0: Connection Across Borders

📍 Limerick, Ireland

We are honored that the Government of Ireland has announced an additional  €250,000 in funding for the Living Legends Project. We will use these funds to expand this successful cross-border program that is bringing teenagers from Belfast and Limerick together to connect across historic and cultural differences through storytelling and by working with artists to produce new creative work.

Planning is already underway for the next iteration of Living Legends, and we’re delighted to be working with some of the young people who took part in last year’s program. Thanks to our Youth Advisory Panel, student perspectives will play a key role in how we shape the program going forward.

Take a minute to view these extraordinary experiences. Bid on an extraordinary experience. Support Narrative 4!

Narrative 4 is live on Charity Buzz with a collection of one-of-a-kind opportunities to meet, learn from and exchange ideas with incredible leaders from business, media and more.

Every winning bid supports Narrative 4’s mission of equipping young people to harness the power of stories to drive change in their communities.

Closes today!

Help Us Reach More Youth:

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