We could share all kinds of numbers and details...but we'd rather tell you a couple features as well as stories from the Summit & Festival.
Before the Summit & Festival even began, we were mentioned or featured in two different articles with The City Journals: April 2024 and May 2024.
Story #1
The above picture shows Peter Cook and four of the five youth tellers from Jean Massieu School of the Deaf. Peter shared how he didn't even learn sign language until his college years. He was in a school where there were consequences for signing. These youth already have a
more supportive environment and community. Peter Cook was also amazed at their storytelling and told them that they are extremely talented and will replace him in the future. The youth quickly signed "no" or "yes" and another saying "You need to stay alive forever, Peter!" One of the sessions at the Murray City Park had Hearing and Deaf youth tellers while one session were of completely Deaf tellers so that Voice Interpretations were done the whole time. The types of stories chosen to be told
really expresses the Deaf culture in personal stories, urban legends, and popular humor. We are thrilled that we will have Deaf and Hearing youth tellers every year from now on.
Story #2
The picture below with the youth teller in the yellow blouse, Adri Richards, was when we learned--in a casual conversation with her and her mother--on how she used to attend the Summit & Festival from 1st to 6th grades when going to Parkside
Elementary. That school is situated right next to the pavilions used at the park. Then, when Adri graduated from Parkside Elementary to Hillcrest Junior High, she got the chance to tell for the first time. She told her chilling story about a possessed doll with mainly 6th graders from her old school. What a full-circle experience!
Story #3
One of our community older adult tellers, Fay Blauer, was already selected to tell her personal
story of making family chocolates. Yet, Fay attended the 5-hour workshop taught by Laura Deal. Fay felt that this motivated her even more to create and develop as many stories as possible. She has plenty of family members who need to know these stories while she has the energy to do it.
Can you imagine all the other wonderful stories we have to share? Consider...we had outreaches at the following: Salt Lake Valley Detention Center, Midvalley Elementary, Primary Children's Hospital, Redeemer Lutheran School, Bastian Elementary, and Jordan Ridge Elementary. We welcomed to the Murray City Park with field trip
students from Parkside Elementary, St. Vincent de Paul Parish School, and West Ridge Academy.
More stories will be
shared next month.