Voices : thoughts and images from Muncie community youth

Storytelling is an important facet of the human experience. Whether expressing feelings regarding elements of the world or simply relating events in day-to-day life, telling stories serves as a means of expression through which an individual is able to clarify his or her values, share his or her experience, and bolster his or her sense of self. Storytelling can be accomplished in numerous forms including writing, photography, visual artwork, and music, though increasingly rigid educational standards and difficult budgeting situations have yielded less and less opportunity for the youth to engage in storytelling within the classroom. As such, many youth are deprived of the chance to develop voice and identity throughout the pivotal formative stage of adolescence. One means of preventing negative outcomes for youth in a community is to provide community programs, especially those involving opportunities for self¬-expression and development of voice. In this project, two Ball State University students engage in one such project within the Muncie community, working with ten boys and girls at the Boys and Girls Club of Muncie. Through exercises in writing, photography, and drawing, the participating youth worked together to create the publication Voices, which was published both in physical form and online.Honors CollegeThesis (B.?.