Prospectus for a Series of Books & Websites

The Spirit of These Stories

The early years of life are a particularly crucial time of exploration. It is a time to both widely investigate the outer world and also vigilantly listen for the inner voice. This latter speaks in the subtle quiet feelings that let each person know what areas of life feel infinitely intriguing. These subtle intuitive promptings help unfold the discovery of ones own unique flavor of personal greatness -- be it "large" or "small." When young people are encouraged to trust and follow these inner impulses, they grow in inner strength and integration. With these qualities they can create the most satisfying connection between their inner selves and the outer world, the most fulfilling paths for them to travel.

Youth is a time of great energy and feeling, of yearning to experience the depths of life and to share this experience with others. Like water or fire or wind, the life energy of youth can do great damage, or it can be nurtured and guided into channels of creativity, into doing great goodness.

In young people's deep feeling for truth and in their perennially seeking newness, they carry the future inside of them. The role of the older generations is to offer them opportunities to listen to their inner voice and to help them find avenues for its expression in the outer world, endeavors which will help them grow and blossom and flourish. This inner voice is what they will listen to when it is their turn to run the world. What voice will they hear? What will it say?

Columnist Courtland Milloy wrote an article about a Washington, DC street gang for the May 15, 2002 issue of the Washington Post. In his article, "D.C. Murder Inc.: So Much Talent, So Poorly Used," he wrote, "Testimony at other recent drug conspiracy trials revealed much admiration for the courage and charity shown by certain young drug dealers -- especially those who helped neighbors stave off evictions, contributed to college tuitions, and remembered special occasions with lavish gifts. Even to read the grand jury indictment against the DC Murder Inc. is to get a sense of what might have been had the defendants' talents been properly used. After all, these are the kinds of young people frequently stereotyped as being too stupid to walk and chew gum at the same time. And yet, says the indictment, they were successful at achieving a goal to 'create, maintain, and control a market place... enforce discipline among members...collect money owed... and to promote and enhance the reputation and standing of the enterprise and its members.' Microsoft couldn't have said it better. If the charges bear out, it would not be the first time that a group of young men who had been written off by society as unteachable and untrainable had found a way to demonstrate their gifts and talents with a vengeance."

In the words of folk singer Timmy Abell before his closing song to a group of teenage delinquents at the Richmond Virginia Detention Center, February 1987: "You guys don't realize the kind of fighting spirit that maybe landed you here in the first place is the same fighting spirit that will get you where you want to go," he told them. "If you don't fit in the mold, you tend to get in trouble. But there are ways you can stay outside society's narrow, rigid lines and still make the best of what you've got." Then he picked up his guitar and sang a song he had especially chosen to end out his show for them, a song with a particularly moving chorus:

"It's Not Just What You're Born With"
by Si Khan

It's not just what you're born with
It's what you choose to bear
It's not how large your share is
but how much you can share
Oh it's not the fights you dream of
But those you really fought
It's not just what you're given
But what you do with what you've got

In addition to offering young people opportunities to explore both the outer and inner worlds, the older generations also need to offer them the recognition and affirmation that the work they are doing is good. We need to let them know how their seemingly non-goal-oriented, dilettante tendencies really DO count for something, and in fact have great value. It is in the "slacker passions" of their "fire within" that the future is forged. The nature and character of this future we in the older generations have not even the slightest clue.

The stories in this book honor the inner experiences of young people -- what they feel inside themselves as they passionately follow their hearts in their freely chosen projects and activities, fully engaged, living life to the hilt, ever true to their own selves.

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Gathering These Stories

A Geographically Based Series

This work will be a compilation of stories about young people and their projects and activities. The goal of this project is to offer examples and models of the nature and character of these people's young lives. It will also serve as a resource guide with personal connections both within local communities and across communities. It will be a communication channel encouraging youth to record and communicate -- in words and multi-media -- their thoughts and feelings about how they feel about being here.

This documentation will use the following communication forms :

• Written words by young people themselves or gleaned from taped interviews; commentary by story gatherers
• Still photographs
• Annotated listings of resources they have used -- with active links on the webpages
• Streaming spoken words and moving images -- for websites

This project involves more than one book and a set of interlinking websites. Potentially it could involve a large network of gathered experiences along with a web-based network of resource information. Included would be links to both young people and adults who have developed or used these resources.

Story Gathering and Production

To set the overall tone for the series, I will gather the first set of stories and resources from among young people in my own geographic area: the Greater Washington, DC - Baltimore region. Included could be young people associated with The Learning Community Network (TLCN); also the the Log Cabin Science Program; and students at an inner city DC charter school. After this first product of this project is completed, I will invite other people to gather for this series the stories of young people from their own areas.

I will be the series editor, with the possibility of a co-editor. The role of the series editor will be to guide local people in the story-gathering and resource-compiling process; review submitted stories; and coordinate final production. My intention is to work myself out of a job by providing production examples and then have local people themselves handle the story publication and web development for their areas.

Publisher

I would like to use a small, independent publishing house where I (and possible co-editor) would have total creative control.

Funding

I am currently seeking sources of funding for all aspects of this project:

• Story recording
• Photography -- stills and video
• Book printing
• Website development
• Publicity

Funding sources would share the overall philosophy expressed in the description above, "The Spirit of These Stories."
Possibilities include:

• Youth-oriented private foundations
• Youth-oriented businesses, such as manufacturers of sports gear