Vision

We believe everyone has a story to tell and the ability to tell it. We believe that by listening to the stories we tell each other—whether true or imagined--we learn empathy, diplomacy, reflection, and grace. We believe everyone deserves and needs to see themselves in the stories they read, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexuality, or ability. We believe this is especially true for those whose voices are too often silenced, from communities who have been historically oppressed and whose stories repressed. We believe that everyone benefits from listening to diverse perspectives on our shared world. Finally, we believe the best way to honor someone is to hear them, and we are passionate about sharing these underheard voices with the world.

Goals

1. 1.In 2026, we will launch the Girls' Graphic Novel Project with the National Museum of Women in the Arts, engaging 8–12 young women and gender-expansive youth of color (ages 12–16) in a summer intensive to create a nationally distributed graphic novel publishing in fall 2027.
2. 2.We will expand our Author Talks program, growing the number of trained youth speakers, extending outreach to Title I schools beyond the DC metro area, and strengthening the honoraria infrastructure that fairly compensates youth authors for their public expertise.
3. 3.We are completing a Salesforce transition to unify data across programs, book sales, and grants management, while engaging an external consultant to lead a structured scenario planning process with board and staff to ensure long-term organizational sustainability.