Save a Life! Learn and Share #3StepsBack!


As the headline act, Story Stitchers SAFE! Team performs their “3StepsBack” dance routine to demonstrate an easy strategy for zero contact with firearms.. The youth are advocates for staying SAFE! from shooting incidents and accidental gun deaths and star in a series of PSA’s while teaching their #3StepsBack dance to audiences and hosting beat battles.

Filmed on location at the OVP Kickback in O’Fallon Park and at KSDK Show Me St. Louis in July 2023. “Gun violence is a health crisis that consumes our youth,” says Story Stitchers Youth Artistic Coordinator Branden Lewis. “Our focus on healthy expression helps youth work through their pain and loss. We develop original music and dance to share safety tips that can save lives. We encourage teens 16-25 years old to reach out to storystitchers.org and join in.”

Research shows the education around gun safety can save lives. In the article, “Children were safer around guns after watching a 1-minute video,” by Erin Blakemore, The Washington Post, July 23, 2023, the researchers write, “We recommend that adults teach children about gun safety and reduce their exposure to age-inappropriate media. It is well past time for the U.S. to also take steps to reduce firearm-related injuries in children and adolescents.”

Join the SAFE! Team!

Learn the dance, share it with friends, family, teachers.

Tag #3StepsBack!

Unload, lock and secure firearms and let’s keep our kids SAFE!

Parent & Educator Highlight: Good For Your Health


Good For Your Health is an original song about nutrition with a music video filmed on location at Winslow’s Farm in Augusta, Midwest Farmers Market in West Delmar Loop,  and Tillie’s Corner in JeffVanderLou.

Learn about the project through the artists in this Back Story video filmed during the pandemic in Zoom. Includes an original song, music video and school assembly for K-6th grade children.

Visit Story Stitches Parents and Educators for more! 

Copyright Saint Louis Story Stitchers, 2020

3 Steps Back Single Released for OVP Kickback Today!


Saint Louis Story Stitchers has released 3 Steps Back!!

The song, created in Story Stitchers collaborative studio with youth leaders with music by BlueBeatz and featuring vocals by KP Dennis and Bobby Norfolk, is aimed at teaching children to react safely and take 3 steps back and tell an adult if they come upon a firearm. 3 Steps Back also encourages adults to use safe firearm storage including unload, lock and secure firearms. 

Available today on major music platforms!

Let’s Pick the City UP!!

Catch Story Stitchers SAFE! Team!!

We’ll be at O’Fallon Park with the OVP Kickback all day!

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Event Time: 2:00-6:00 PM

O’Fallon Park

Pavilion #2

799 E Taylor Ave, St. Louis, MO 63147

Story Stitchers’ DJ S.K. Banga and DJ BlueBeatz

will keep the party hopping!

Story Stitchers’ SAFE! Team will perform at 2:45  and 4:45!

It’s FREE! 

Food, basketball, games, give aways, gun locks, and fun!

 

In 2022, 120 children were shot in unintentional shootings in St. Louis and 26 of those died. Across the U.S, In 2022, 4,476 were injured and 1,672 children under 17 were killed by gun violence, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization. 

For more information about the project visit: 

https://storystitchers.org/safe-team/

Catch Story Stitchers SAFE! Team Saturday!


Let’s Pick the City UP!!

Catch Story Stitchers SAFE! Team!!

We’ll be at O’Fallon Park with the OVP Kickback all day!

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Event Time: 2:00-6:00 PM

Story Stitchers’ SAFE! Team will perform at 2:45  and 4:45!

It’s FREE! 

Food, basketball, games, give aways, and fun!

 

 

Acknowledgements

Saint Louis Story Stitchers youth programs and SAFE! Team appearances at the OVP Kickback is supported in part by the City of St. Louis Department of Public Safety and the Office of Violence Prevention. The Story Stitchers’ SAFE! Team PSA campaign was developed with support from the St. Louis Area Violence Prevention Commission.

SAFE! Team is presented in part through a collaboration with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Saint Louis Story Stitchers’ Pick the City UP Tour including development of the 3 Steps Back Dance and appearances of the SAFE! Team at OVP Kickback events is supported in part by an award from the Regional Arts Commission.

Support is provided by a 2021 Accelerator Award for creative youth development from The Lewis Prize For Music.

Additional support is provided by Kranzberg Arts Foundation, where Saint Louis Story Stitchers is a proud resident arts organization.

Show Me St. Louis Tuesday, July 11!!


Tuesday, July 11, 2023

10:00 AM

KSDK Channel 5

Catch Aakirah and Keith with

Story Stitchers new

3 Steps Back dance on Show Me St. Louis!

In 2022, 120 children were shot in unintentional shootings in St. Louis and 26 of those died. Across the U.S, In 2022, 4,476 were injured and 1,672 children under 17 were killed by gun violence, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization.

Let’s reduce unintentional shootings

and teen suicide!

Help spread the word!

Teach kids to take 3 steps back and

tell an adult if they find a gun!

Encourage adults to unload, lock and secure

their firearms to keep their loved ones SAFE!!

For more information about the project visit:

https://storystitchers.org/safe-team/

Get on our SAFE! TEAM!! at O’Fallon Park Saturday!!


Get on our

SAFE! TEAM

Launching this week!!

OVP Kickback

July 15, 2021

O’Fallon Park

Story Stitchers will be with our friends

in the O’Fallon neighborhood Saturday!

2:00-6:00 PM

Stop by for free food, music, free gun locks, basketball, and more!!

Story Stitchers will perform at

2:45 PM and 4:45 PM!!!

Come learn our new dance!!

ALL FREE!

 

Coming up on Story Stitchers Pick the City UP Tour!!

Karaoke Night!

August 5, 2023

6:00-9:00 PM

HIGH LOW at 3301 Washington Ave in the Grande Center Arts District

All ages. Free.

Saint Louis Story Stitchers youth programs and SAFE! Team appearances at the OVP Kickback is supported in part by the City of St. Louis Department of Public Safety and the Office of Violence Prevention.

SAFE! Team is presented in part through a collaboration with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Saint Louis Story Stitchers’ Pick the City UP Tour including development of the 3 Steps Back Dance and appearances of the SAFE! Team at OVP Kickback events is supported in part by an award from the Regional Arts Commission.

Support is provided by a 2021 Accelerator Award for creative youth development from The Lewis Prize For Music.

Additional support is provided by Kranzberg Arts Foundation, where Saint Louis Story Stitchers is a proud resident arts organization.

Donate Today

In The News


Saint Louis Story Stitchers’ Branden Lewis, Youth Artistic Coordinator, speaks about Story Stitchers’ creative youth development program opportunities at Mayor Tishaura Jones’ press conference on June 22, 2023 after a mass shooting involving teens. Watch the press conference below:

Press Conference link:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=search&v=1448376932642980

Youth applications are now open for 16-25 year olds living in St. Louis City and County.

Free access to Story Stitchers studio, The Center, which houses award-winning programs in music and media arts.

To apply, teens and young adults may complete this simple form: https://storystitchers.wufoo.com/forms/zeinv521f4w9ez/

Please reach out to Story Stitchers to inquire about a partnership or to share suggestions.

Story Stitchers to Think BIG for Kids! with Youthbridge Community Foundation


Through a $120,000, two-year, Think Big for Kids grant from YouthBridge Community Foundation, Story Stitchers is creating a series of public service announcements (PSAs) to help change the stigma around mental health care and provide information on accessing it.

Read the Youthbridge newsletter article HERE

Perception Isn’t Always Reality: Mental Health will reduce stigma of mental health care among Black youth in St. Louis City and County through the creation and dissemination of a public service announcement (PSA) campaign. The 24-month project will be led by 10 Black youth (ages 16-24) and 10 adult artist-mentors of color working in collaboration with health experts; community residents; and marketing, media, and communication professionals.

The resulting fact-based, peer-to-peer messaging will reach a wide audience through billboards and public transportation ads in North St. Louis City and County and social media and radio ads through the greater region. Youth are viewed as trusted messengers, driving regional change in knowledge and attitudes on mental illness and accessing mental health care.

Socioeconomic status and mental health are intrinsically connected; improvement in one enables improvement in the other. This innovative PSA project can be easily replicated to tackle stigma, misinformation, and distrust contributing to many other problems facing youth.

Collaborative partner Matthew W. Kreuter, PhD, MPH, Kahn Family Professor of Public Health and Director, Health Communication Research Laboratory at the Institute of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis wrote, “Story Stitchers works with and within the communities they serve using a collaborative approach between professional and youth artists. These collaborations produce works of extraordinary insight and vulnerability as artists reflect their own experiences and those of their peers and neighbors. Their work centers voices within the community using innovative approaches to storytelling. Story Stitchers has an extensive history of successful programming and collaborative impact that has positively engaged communities in St. Louis City and County.”

Story Stitchers previous work with Public Service Announcements includes Perception Isn’t Always Reality: Boosting Covid Vaccine Confidence for the CDC Foundation in 2022. Artifacts from the campaign are currently on view in the Trusted Messengers exhibition at the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta GA 30329. The exhibition is on view November 25, 2022 – August 2023.

SAFE! Team which addresses safe firearm storage and teaches children to take #3stepsback if the come across a gun. SAFE! Team was created for the St.Louis Area Violence Prevention Commission and the Office of Violence Prevention in the City of St. Louis Department of Public Safety in 2022 and is currently being pushed out to the public. Story Stitchers will present #3stepsback as a live performance on July 11th, 2023 in O’Fallon Park at the Office of Violence Prevention Kickback Party, 2:00-6:00.

Story Stitchers Receives Regional Arts Commission Award


RAC To Give Nearly $4.5 Million in Grants

Saint Louis Story Stitchers is honored to receive a $15,000 award from the Regional Arts Commission for Pick the City UP. Funds will support public programs presented by the organization in underserved neighborhoods at block parties and various events.

Watch the video to see Founding President and Executive Director of Saint Louis Story Stitchers Susan Colangelo speak on a RAC panel to present the awards.

Saint Louis Story Stitchers will present a Pick the City UP event this weekend with People Planning and Working Together:

Juneteenth Block Party

Saturday, June 17

1:30-7:30

1717 Coleman St, Saint Louis, MO

Free and open to the public