Featured Nonprofit: Young Storytellers Foundation

At The Young Storytellers Foundation, the story of Dominic is told often. Dominic was a trouble-maker, an overactive fifth-grader at Playa Del Rey Elementary School. He fought with other students and made frequent visits to the Principal's Office. The Principal, out of ideas, asked the foundation to take him under their wing. The program paired Dominic with a movie-industry volunteer and together they drafted a script. The story Dominic wrote, The Lakers' New Player, featured a young Dominic playing basketball with Shaquille O'Neal and being chosen Rookie of the Year. At the Big Show, Dominic's story was greeted by resounding applause. He was beaming from start to finish. When he went back to school, Dominic stopped fighting and never visited the Principal's office again. He's now a Creative Writing major at Cal State Long Beach, something he attributes to his experience as a Young Storyteller. He writes for the college newspaper and is well on his way to earning his degree.

The Young Storytellers Foundation has been providing unique, in-school arts education programming for nearly 10 years free of charge to under-served elementary schools in Los Angeles. YSF brings Hollywood professionals into the classroom for an 8-week, one-on-one screenwriting program. As the mentors help foster their creativity, students examine basic story structure in a group setting, then sit down to write their own original scripts. As the grand finale, a Big Show is performed in the school auditorium, where YSF brings in professional actors such as Ben McKenzie (Southland), Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother), and Zach Levi (Chuck) among others to perform the students' scripts in front of an audience of peers, teachers and families.

The program is especially important given Los Angeles's increasingly bleak education landscape. In November, the Los Angeles Unified School District suspended funding for the Arts Community Partners Network, which provided funding for in-school arts education programs. With arts education budgets shrinking, YSF hopes its volunteers can help fill the gaps.

While YSF's programs has been proven to boost self-esteem and academic confidence in its graduates, it believes the unique connection formed between student and mentor is something that can't be quantified. From this experience, children learn that they matter. They see that people value what they have to say. Their communication skills improve. And they discover that attending school can be enjoyable and immensely rewarding.

Watch KNBC's segment about the Young Storytellers Foundation: