Welcome to
 Volunteer
      Services

Spellbinders Overview

The Spellbinders Program Of Community Building Through Storytelling

A 75-year old grandmother has a wide-eyed audience of spellbound youngsters as she spins wondrous tales of growing up on an Illinois farm. A tall, grandfatherly figure draws screams of delighted laughter from a dozen 5-year olds as he recounts a fable about a group of dimwitted and clumsy bears.

"Tell me a story" is surely one of the most compelling and universal child's request. And there can be few things more rewarding than to see the magic of real communication between generations fifty or sixty years apart.

This is the story of Spellbinders.

Introduction

We are a group of volunteers who attend a series of storytelling training workshops and then prepare ourselves to share stories with young people. We tell folktales; we tell personal stories. Some of us adopt a school and tell stories there once a month; others of us go to different schools over the school year. Our schools are all Denver Public Schools.

We are a group of adult women and men, ages 40-80+, of diverse experiences.

We meet monthly to coach and encourage one another.

Come to one of our monthly meetings - September through May

Attend our training workshops - scheduled several times each year.

Talk with one of our members - any time.

The mission of Spellbinders is to create connections between generations through the art of storytelling. Spellbinders Storytellers pass on the wisdom, values, humor, and sense of community embodied in stories of all cultures and all times.

Denver Spellbinders is a chapter of national Spellbinders. The national Spellbinders organization aids and encourages the establishment of intergenerational volunteer storytelling programs in schools and community facilities.

A Brief History of Spellbinders

The Spellbinders program grew out of an oral history project in a Denver middle school in 1989. While leading that project Germaine Dietsch noted how eagerly and intently children listened to the stories told by their elders. Germaine realized that it was not only the stories, but also the sense of connection and intimacy produced by the person-to-person storytelling that created the magic. This led her to seek sponsorship from Denver Public Schools to recruit a group of senior citizen volunteers to tell stories in the schools' classrooms. The schools volunteer specialist, Christine Smith, enthusiastically supported sponsorship. Her administrative office underwrote several sessions in the art of storytelling given by professional storytellers to the first group of six volunteers. Before long the six grew to twenty. Later, the informal storytelling sessions were developed into a three-day workshop by Cherie Karo Schwartz, a professional storyteller, and Germaine. The workshop, which became a requirement, enabled volunteers to become classroom storytellersSpellbinders!

Spellbinders is still going strong. The Denver chapter has over 60 active members who tell in more than 25 Denver Public Schools.

Among its recognitions, Spellbinders has received the coveted Colorado Association Partners in Education award for its service to Denver schoolchildren.

How Denver Spellbinders Works

Training

Each year storytelling workshops are given for new volunteers. The workshops cover storytelling structures, techniques and practices. There is also an opportunity for new volunteers to try out their stories and enjoy the benefit of members' coaching. The workshops are available for a nominal fee. After the workshop, each new teller presents a story at a Spellbinders' monthly meeting, and then accompanies one or more resident Spellbinders to their schools until they feel comfortable and competent to start a residency in their own chosen school.

Storytelling in the schools

Most Spellbinders prefer to be "Resident Spellbinders," telling at the same school or schools throughout the school year. Commonly, a Spellbinder gives a 20-30 minute program in each of four to six classrooms at the same school once or twice a month. In some cases, a Spellbinder will prefer to be a "floater," telling in many different schools. The Spellbinder requests the grade levels and number of classes to be served in either case. Teachers either sign up for the Spellbinder each time s/he visits or on a calendar for the entire year, depending upon the school's policy and teacher preference.

What kind of stories?

Each Spellbinder is expected to have stories ready for the classes in which s/he will tell. Spellbinders may tell fairy tales, folk tales, literary tales, legends, personal experiences, etc., tailored to the age of the children in the classes. (Training workshops and meetings provide storytellers with a wide variety of story sources.) Stories do not have to fit into any particular study unity, although if a teacher requests such a story the Spellbinder will try to comply. Children especially love to hear stories from the teller's own past experiences. Most often, however, stories are left to the discretion, style and the heart of each teller.

Monthly meetings

One of the keys to Spellbinders' continuing success has been the camaraderie and enrichment offered the membership through monthly meetings. During the business portion of the meeting, announcements are made, program-related problems discussed and the group brought up to date about other storytelling and educational activities in the community. The main part of the meeting is reserved for storytelling by designated Spellbinders or guest tellers.

How Successful is the Spellbinders Program?

The Denver Spellbinders program has proven to be a true community builder and at the same time an educational aid. "The language and cultural enrichment your stories bring to our children is invaluable," wrote Dr. Evie Dennis, past Superintendent of Schools, "Equally invaluable is our students' exposure to people willing to volunteer their time, their talent and their faith in their community's future."

Typical teachers' comments are that Spellbinders storytelling "Enhances language development." "Stimulates discussion." "Presents life-long learning models." "Develops listening skills." "Enriches imagination."

And Spellbinders say "The stories have enriched my life!" "Storytelling has been a catharsis, reassuring me of my worth when I doubted itthe faces of the children are so receptive, so non-judgmental." "What fun and joy to be greeted with glee by children at this time in my life!" "My repayment is that amazing collection of eyes!" Spellbinders are often stopped in grocery stores or shopping plazas by children and eagerly introduced to their mothers and fathers with "This is our storyteller".

Spellbinders is a rare program that can enrich lives across all age groups, enhance education and build a sense of community all at the same time. Connections between generations and neighbors build communities. In fact, the eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart nature of storytelling is the very essence of community.

If you are interested in the Denver Spellbinders' program, please contact Volunteer Services at 720-424-8245 or Volunteer_Services@dpsk12.org