Ashoka Youth Venturer & Changemaker Katie Eder Stands #withMalala
Ashoka’s Youth Venture is teaming up with the Malala Fund to profile stories of young changemakers around the world as part of the Stand #withMalala campaign following the release of the film, HE NAMED ME MALALA.
In this latest installment, Ashoka’s Youth Venture recently interviewed young changemaker Katie Eder (KE), the American teenager who founded the organization Kids Tales. Check out her story below…
Youth Venture (YV): “There is a moment where you have to choose, whether to be silent, or stand up,” says Malala. How do you feel when you hear these words?
KE: When I was in fifth grade, I took my first writing class. And at that moment, my whole life changed. Writing gave me the chance to express myself and to have a voice. When I got to middle school, I began to realize that writing was not something most kids get to do outside of school. There are few opportunities for many students in underserved communities to write creatively, even though writing is so important in every aspect of life and empowers and inspires kids. I knew I could either sit back and do nothing, or find a way for more kids to find their voice through writing. Using my experiences from past writing classes, I started Kids Tales, kidstales.org. Kids Tales is a nonprofit venture that brings creative writing workshops to 8 to 12 year old kids around the globe that do not have access to writing experiences outside of school. During a Kids Tales workshop, kids spend one week brainstorming, writing, and editing their very own short story. At the end of the week, the stories are assembled in a collection and self-published as an anthology, a real book, on Amazon.com. Teen instructors teach all Kids Tales workshops.
YV: “I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is the story of many girls,” Malala says. What is your story for change-making and how do you feel it is tied to Malala or a broader movement for girls’ rights globally?
KE: Malala once said, “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen, can change the world.” Kids Tales is doing exactly that. One kid at a time—one story at a time, we are inspiring kids to find their voice through writing and changing the world. After seeing the impact creative writing had on the kids in our first workshops, we expanded Kids Tales. We grew from two workshops in Milwaukee in the summer of 2014, to ten workshops in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Washington DC, in the summer of 2015. We also had the opportunity to work with AFS-USA, and travel to Colombia, South America to teach a workshop. This summer, we are teaching workshops in ten cities across the United States as well as Vancouver, Guatemala, and a Refugee camp in Hungary. We want to continue to expand so every kid, in every corner of the globe, no matter who they are or where they come from, has the opportunity to tell their story and have a voice. Every kid can write. It is not that there is lack of talent among underserved kids, or a lack of talent in girls; it is that there is a lack of opportunity. Kids Tales gives kids the opportunity to tell their story, which is an experience we want to bring to more kids throughout the world.
