Think back to when you were 18.

For some, that season came with possibility, space to imagine, create, and dream about what might come next.

For many young people aging out of foster care, turning 18 is not a beginning.
It is a cutoff.

Support systems disappear. Stability becomes uncertain. And very quickly, life narrows to immediate needs: where to sleep, how to eat, how to get through the day.

When survival becomes the focus, there is little room to ask deeper questions like: Who am I? What do I care about? What story do I want to tell?

Over time, survival doesn’t just become a circumstance.
It becomes the story.

Right now, we are gathering.

Interest forms for the Youth Storytelling Program are open, and we are beginning by listening to young people across Atlanta who have aged out of foster care and are curious about this experience.

Rather than rushing straight into selection, we are intentionally starting with conversation.

Over the coming weeks, we will host information sessions to share more about the program, answer questions, and create space for connection before applications officially open on January 27, 2026.

This phase is about honoring desire and allowing young people to step toward the work at their own pace.

Nothing is being rushed.
Nothing is being extracted.

Development is not just a planning stage.

It is the difference between who is able to show up and who is left out.

For many young people expressing interest in this program, access is fragile. Transportation and food are not guaranteed week to week. When those needs are uncertain, even the most meaningful opportunities can become unreachable.

Before a story can be written, a young person has to arrive.
Before imagination can open, their body has to feel safe enough to rest.

This phase exists to remove those barriers before the work begins, so participation does not require sacrifice or stress.

At this stage, support is not abstract.

It looks like a bus ride that makes it possible to arrive.
It looks like a meal that allows someone to stay present.
It looks like one less decision a young person has to make between meeting a basic need and showing up for themselves.

During the Development Phase of the Youth Storytelling Program, contributions directly support transportation and food access for participants over the full eight-week experience.

This includes:

Round-trip bus and train fare so youth can travel to and from program sessions
Consistent transportation support across the full Development Phase
Snacks and light meals to remove barriers to participation
A program environment where no one is asked to create while hungry or worried about how they’ll get home

These are small things on paper.
They are not small in real life.

Our goal is to raise $2,500 during the Development Phase of the Youth Storytelling Program.

This funding allows young people to participate consistently by covering transportation, meals, and basic storytelling materials.

As additional support comes in, we are able to extend access — more rides covered, more meals provided, more young people able to stay in the room.

This goal is not about excess.
It is about creating the conditions where stories can take root.

In Georgia, approximately 700 young people age out of foster care each year. Nationally, more than 20,000 do the same.

Research shows that a significant percentage of former foster youth experience homelessness, unemployment, and educational disruption in early adulthood — not because of a lack of ambition, but because they are asked to navigate adulthood without the safety nets most of us rely on.

In Atlanta, rising housing costs and uneven access to transportation compound these challenges.

When life is structured around survival, there is very little space left for reflection, creativity, or long-term imagining.

The Youth Storytelling Program is designed to intervene in that space.

The Youth Storytelling Program is an eight-week storytelling and screenwriting experience for young people ages 18–24 who have aged out of foster care.

Participants gather weekly in community-based spaces to explore storytelling for film, learn the foundations of screenwriting, and translate lived experience into narrative with intention and choice.

Over the course of the program, youth:

Explore how stories shape identity and belief
Learn the fundamentals of screenwriting and story structure
Practice translating lived experience into narrative
Collaborate with peers to identify shared themes
Contribute to the development of a collective film concept

The program culminates in the development of a collaborative short film concept, inspired by collective stories rather than any single individual’s experience.

The focus is not speed or performance.
It is authorship, voice, and creative confidence.

The Becoming Love Project is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to healing trauma through storytelling.

Our work is rooted in the belief that the stories people carry shape how they see themselves and their futures. When individuals are given space to examine and reframe those stories with care, new possibilities emerge.

We design community-based programs that combine narrative exploration, creative practice, and collective reflection. Our approach is grounded in love, dignity, and ethical storytelling, prioritizing agency over extraction and process over performance.

The program is led by Tamala Baldwin, founder of The Becoming Love Project, a writer, director, and producer with experience in narrative-driven film and community-based storytelling.

Tamala is supported by an active Board of Directors and a team of Story Guides — trusted facilitators who offer reflection, encouragement, and care throughout the process.

Participants are not treated as content or outcomes.
They are treated as authors.

Care is designed into every layer of this work.

Be Part of the Story from the Beginning

This work begins long before a film exists.

It begins when young people are able to arrive, stay present, and be met with care.

By supporting the Development Phase of the Youth Storytelling Program, you are helping remove the barriers that often prevent young people from participating in creative spaces.

There is no finished film yet.
There is only the beginning.

Our Fundraising Approach

Our overall fundraising goal for the Youth Storytelling Program is $10,000, raised in clear phases.

We are starting with a $2,500 milestone to support access during the Development Phase. Once that is secured, additional funds support early production and post-production as the work evolves.

Every contribution moves the work forward — from presence in the room to what may be created beyond it.

DONATION LEVELS

Each tier includes everything from the tiers below it.

$25: You Opened the Door

Impact: Helps remove access barriers so young people can attend weekly sessions and take the first step into the program.

What’s Included:

Social media shout-out
Project updates as stories unfold

$50: Sponsor a Student

Impact: Sponsors transportation and a meal for one student for the full 8-week program, ensuring they can arrive, stay present, and participate fully.

What’s Included:

Exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and videos from sessions
All previous perks

$75: Stories in the Making

Impact: Supports transportation, meals, and creative materials that help stories begin to take shape during the Development Phase.

What’s Included

Signed digital poster (film or showcase artwork)
All previous perks

$100: Story Supporter

Impact: Helps strengthen access across the cohort and supports the early shaping of stories that may later inspire a film or live showcase.

What’s Included:

Exclusive digital link to the final film or cinematic showcase
Name included in thank-you credits
All previous perks

$250: In the Room

Impact: Supports sustained participation across the cohort, helping ensure students can remain engaged as stories deepen and take collective form.

What’s Included:

Invitation to a virtual table reading before production
Name listed in program materials (premiere, screening, or Heart Awards)
All previous perks

$500: Creative Partner

Impact: Helps ensure consistent access during the Development Phase and supports the project as it begins moving into early production once access is secured.

What’s Included

One complimentary ticket to the film premiere or showcase
30-minute virtual conversation with the Director
Early access to a teaser or exclusive scenes
All previous perks

$1,000: Program Sponsor

Impact: Serves as a program sponsor, helping stabilize access for the cohort while supporting the project’s readiness to move into pre-production and early filming once development is complete.

What’s Included:

Associate Producer credit (optional)
IMDb listing (if applicable)
Two invitations to screenings or showcase
All previous awards

$2,500: Anchor Sponsor

Impact: Provides anchor-level support for the Development Phase by helping underwrite access for a significant portion of the cohort. With this level of stability in place, the project is able to transition intentionally into pre-production, and begin shaping the stories gathered into a collaborative film or live cinematic showcase.

What’s Included:

Producer credit (optional)
Company name or logo in credits (optional)
Logo placement at Becoming Love Fest (optional)
Opportunity to present an award at the Heart Awards
VIP invitations to screenings and events
All previous awards

$5,000+: Executive Producer

Impact: Provides foundational support that fully secures access for the cohort and allows the project to move into production of a short film inspired by the stories developed during the program.

This level of support makes it possible to honor the work created in the room by bringing it to life on screen, while ensuring the program itself remains grounded, ethical, and participant-centered.

What’s Included:

Executive Producer credit (optional)
Company logo in end credits
Prominent recognition across project materials
VIP invitations to screenings, festivals, and Heart Awards
All previous awards

Producer credits are offered in recognition of financial support only and do not include creative control or decision-making authority.

Stories in the Making: A Youth Storytelling Program

An 8-Week Storytelling and Screenwriting Project for Youth Aged Out of Foster Care

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