For a decade, What’s the Story? The Young Filmmakers’ Social Action Team has done something both radical and simple: it has trusted youth to identify the most urgent issues in their communities and then given them the tools, mentors, and space to tell those stories powerfully through film.

Now in its tenth year, the program is more expansive than ever, with student teams and mentors collaborating across seven sites nationwide. As we look ahead to this summer’s culminating showcase on July 18 at the Bread Loaf School of English campus in Ripton, Vermont, we also reflect on the extraordinary work unfolding at each site. With over 65 students and 10 site mentors participating this year, the program continues to grow as a national model for digital storytelling, student agency, and community-based learning.

What Is What’s the Story?

Launched in Vermont and rooted in the pedagogy of the Bread Loaf Teacher Network (BLTN), What’s the Story? empowers students to become informed, strategic, and empathic change agents. Through a year-long filmmaking process, students research issues they care about, engage with community stakeholders, and produce original documentaries. Supported by site mentors—many of them Bread Loaf School of English (BLSE) students or alumni—students learn to compose in digital mediums while exploring how storytelling can shift hearts, minds, and policy.

In a world where more people have access to smartphones than to clean drinking water, digital composition isn’t optional—it’s essential. By meeting students where they are and equipping them to think critically and communicate powerfully through video, WTS redefines literacy for the 21st century. As James Baldwin wrote, “To accept one’s past—one’s history—is not the same thing as drowning in it; it is learning how to use it.” Storytelling through film becomes a way to reclaim both personal and societal understanding.

Highlights from this Year’s Sites

The Sharon Academy (VT)

Led by current BLSE student and WTS Fellow Hailey Neal, students at The Sharon Academy (TSA) explored issues grounded in their local landscape—from environmental stewardship to mental health. Their films reflect the values of a small-town community reckoning with global-scale problems, all while showcasing the voice and vision of young people eager to lead. Near the end of the year, TSA students visited with their WTS peers at Santa Fe Indian School. Read more about The Sharon Academy’s WTS work in the What’s the Story? newsletter.

NextGen Aiken (SC)

At Aiken High School, a student-led team called NextGen Aiken, guided by BLSE alum and WTS site mentor Kayla Hostetler, used filmmaking to spark dialogue on race, youth voice, and belonging. Their process exemplified student ownership, as young filmmakers connected local equity concerns to national conversations. Aiken filmmakers also visited Santa Fe Indian School to learn about their filmmaking research process.

John Randolph Tucker High School (VA)

Tyler, a student from Tucker High School in Henrico County, is president of a 50-member filmmaking club. With support from BLSE student and club advisor Colin Baumgartner, Tyler and his peers used What’s the Story? as both a personal project and to bring learning back to a larger filmmaking team within their school.

Warlick Academy (NC)

Under the guidance of current BLSE student and site mentor Bobby Harley, students at Warlick Academy turned the camera inward, documenting personal and peer experiences related to mental health, identity, and community stigma. Their films are honest and courageous, providing an intimate look at challenges many students face in silence. Read more in the What’s the Story? newsletter.

Lewiston High School (ME)

Led by current BLSE student and WTS Fellow Mimi Marstaller, Lewiston’s multilingual filmmaking team shared stories of migration, cultural identity, and resilience. For many, this was their first opportunity to tell their story in a medium that honored both their language and experience. Read more in the What’s the Story? newsletter.

Kentucky School for the Blind (KY)

In Louisville, students at the Kentucky School for the Blind reimagined what visual storytelling can be. Site mentor Becky Spies became connected to WTS when former site leader Stan Torzewski—who had previously run a WTS Louisville class at Fern Creek High School with Kip Hottman—joined her at KSB. Using audio, narration, and tactile elements, students explored themes of independence, accessibility, and the power of voice.

Santa Fe Indian School (NM)

At the Santa Fe Indian School, WTS is led by longtime BLTN member and BLSE alum Susan Miera, alongside Dr. Valerie Grimley, the school’s Senior Honors Project and Symposium Director. Students once again realized their Senior Honors Projects through the filmmaking process, exploring Indigenous language preservation, land-based education, and generational healing. In each film, cultural sovereignty and storytelling are deeply intertwined.

Why It Matters

At its core, What’s the Story? is about trusting students with real work that matters. In a time when youth are often dismissed or tokenized, this program insists that their voices not only belong in the conversation—they should lead it. The process of making a film—from research and interviews to scripting and editing—demands collaboration, critical thinking, and commitment. And when students present their finished pieces to live audiences, the results are often transformative for viewers and creators alike.

Extending the Conversation: WTS at the Bread Loaf Winter Institute

In February, former WTS filmmakers and I presented at the Bread Loaf Winter Institute in Santa Fe, NM, sharing our experiences in a session titled Documentary Filmmaking: Youth-Led Literacy Projects. Framed by a call to action on the need for digital composition in English Language Arts classes, the session made the case that storytelling through film is not just a technical skill—it’s a form of literacy that can transform both individuals and communities.

Presenters walked participants through the WTS process, shared student films, and shared mini-lessons on interviewing and framing. The presentation drew from theorists like James Baldwin and Miranda Fricker to ground the work in questions of justice, identity, and epistemic equity. As one slide asked: “What story would you tell, if you could focus on any positive social change in our world?”

You’re Invited: The 2025 Film Showcase

On Friday evening, July 18, following dinner at the Bread Loaf School of English campus in Ripton, Vermont, students from across the country will present their finished documentaries. The event is open to the public and offers a chance to experience firsthand the kinds of stories being told by young people who care deeply about the places they call home. While we celebrate youth voice, it’s also a chance to reimagine our own classrooms.

This is not just a screening. It’s a celebration of what happens when we give students the tools to lead, listen, and create.

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Learn More

• Program website: whatsthestoryvt.com
  
• Watch student films & tutorials: YouTube Channel
  
• For educators and prospective participants: contact Tim O’Leary, WTS Program Director and Co-Founder: whatsthestoryvt@gmail.com
  

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Want to bring WTS to your site or classroom?
Reach out through the website or connect with the Bread Loaf Teacher Network to explore how to adapt this pedagogy to your local context. With the right support, your students may be next to answer the question: What’s your story?