.................................................................................................... Helping to build compassion, courage and empathy in your community through a lively program that combines storytelling, games, art, music and discussion.

For cultures around the world, storytelling has long been a way to impart values and teachings to young people. Val Clancy, Mary Louise Chown, and Laura Cowie formed the BraveHeart Storytelling program in 2003, as a way to encourage self-awareness and self-expression in children and to enable adults to build empathy and mutual understanding in their work with young people.

Using traditional stories, we introduce children to concepts like positive self-talk, finding one's own voice, and empathy through listening from the heart. Teachers report that after the program they and their children have increased their sensitivity to respecting and tolerating others, while also speaking up about potential bullying situations.

We deliver an age appropriate program that allows young people to develop their language abilities and to develop feeling words as part of their vocabulary. Participants learn how to solve a problem by using the story character’s situations to recognize how others feel, and how to develop a greater empathy towards others. We will also train adults who work with young people to deliver this program in a variety of settings.

BraveHeart Storytellers Inc. are:

Mary Louise Chown Storyteller, former teacher, visual artist and musician

Val Clancy Storyteller, former school social worker

Laura Cowie Storyteller, Library Media Services,Winnipeg School Division

To book training session, storytelling performance, or group series call:

Mary Louise 489-6994

Val 895-8155

We offer the following programs:

1. When the Heart is Brave (full description on last page )
Storytelling as a preventive practice for children at risk. A 6-8 week program for schools, group homes, drop-in centres.
Suitable for ages 6-16

2.Tell It From the Heart: building empathy and community through storytelling
Stories to encourage peace, conflict resolution, & tolerance. A 60 minute presention.
Suitable for all ages, including school day cares, family centres, group homes, schools.
Minimum fee: $100 per session.

3.The House of Celebration Subsidized through Manitoba Arts Council Artist-in-the-School program Become part of an ancient story called 'The Eagle's Gift" and enter the house of celebration where all are welcome and each guest brings their special strengths. Knowing your special strengths can give courage to face life's difficulties. Suitable for ages 6-13, and for family groups.

4. Training programs for adults:

Participants will learn how to:
• Prepare stories for telling and engage an audience with storytelling
• Encourage children to recognize their own strengths and develop empathy toward others
• Build a culture of empathy in their community of children
• Reconnect with the power of stories to illuminate their own life experiences.
Fee Schedule
Program Delivery
$1500.00 for 8 ( one hour) sessions with one group
$2500.00 for 8 (one hour ) sessions with 2 groups in a school

Training staff to adapt the program to specific settings:
$500.00 for half-day training 3hrs in length
$900.00 for full day training 6 hrs in length
$100.00 Storytelling performances (60 Minute)

When you help to give a child a voice, when you give them a chance to tell their story; they are not as susceptible to being bullied.

1. When the Heart is Brave further details
Program: Storytelling as a preventive practice for children at risk
1. To be a bully,
2. To be bullied
3. To become future gang members
Goals:
Developing empathy
Appreciating other points of view
Accepting whom you are
Being open to change
Self reflection

Length:
An 8- 10-week program which sees 8 weeks spent in classrooms and an optional 2 weeks spent in sessions with teachers.
On one day each week for 6- 8 wks, we would come to the school to work with 1-2 classes, for one-hour sessions.
We would return to the same classes over the course of the program. One session with the classroom teachers would
precede these 6-8 weeks and the second session would come after the children's sessions end.

Target age:
Elementary and Middle school....Grades 2-8
We will be working with class groups, but can also work with smaller focus groups where a school feels this is desirable

What will happen:
1. Students will be encouraged to identify feelings of story characters during each session through storytelling games, activities, and discussion.
2.Students will receive practice expressing these feelings
3. Students will be encouraged to learn problem solving through examining story characters’ situations.
4. There will be content for all learning styles

We believe that it's important:
*To develop self -esteem and improve communication skills for "at-risk" children and young adults who are in most danger of being bullies or being bullied
* To help each child develop their voice by learning to express their feelings so that they are not as susceptible to being bullied
* To look at feelings as described by characters in stories; to see how the characters cope with their problems; to develop problem solving, wisdom, and judgment
* To help children and young people learn to think more positively about their strengths; to develop self-esteem