To pursue this important work, the Center is building a network of partners—individuals, organizations, and institutions from across the nation that are committed to building a better world through the power of storytelling.
The Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, one of only 100 throughout the United States. Through our affiliation, the Center shares Smithsonian's artifacts for display in Jonesborough and partners with the Smithsonian's programs to advance the cause of storytelling.
The Center and the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress are developing a national and international program to collect, preserve, and disseminate information and materials about the traditions, practice, and application of storytelling.
The repository for this information and materials will be the International Storytelling Collection—located at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The Center will provide on-site and online access to the Collection at our facilities in Jonesborough.
The Center is collaborating with Mountain States Health Alliance to develop and conduct the Stories for the Soul program. This healthcare-based initiative demonstrates how the application of storytelling can enhance patient satisfaction, improve health, and decrease recovery time by using story methods specifically designed for the healthcare experience.
The Center is currently engaged in providing opportunities for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to learn how to use storytelling to strengthen JPL's programs in public awareness and formal and informal education.
These opportunities include developing and performing stories of space exploration, conducting professional development through creative use of storytelling techniques, and establishing a research project that seeks to develop innovative strategies to enliven and enhance the teaching of space science.