The Public Humanities Exchange program (HEX and HEX-U) at the UW-Madison Center for the Humanities funds innovative public humanities projects that forge partnerships between community organizations and UW-Madison students.
The following blog post, written by HEX-U Scholar Cece Babat highlights her experience building Stories of Change, a program that uses literature to elevate youth voices. Stories of Change is a book club designed to give youth a space to explore their experiences, discuss systems of power, and imagine possibilities for both themselves and their communities.
Stories of Change: Storytelling as a Tool for Connection, Reflection, and Self-Expression
The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. When an individual is incarcerated, the effects extend far beyond the walls of the correctional facility. Children, families, and entire communities are impacted by the separation that occurs. For justice-involved youth, whether they are incarcerated themselves or affected by a parent or caregiver’s incarceration, this often means navigating instability, stigma, and trauma without consistent support to process their experiences.
I’ve always believed that stories can be powerful tools for connection, healing, and change. When I began working with UW-Extension’s Literacy Link program in the fall of 2024, I saw firsthand how literature can help sustain meaningful family connections during the separation caused by incarceration. That experience deepened my understanding of storytelling as a tool for connection, reflection, and self-expression. As a result, I wanted to create a program that similarly used literature to elevate youth voices. Stories of Change is a book club designed to give youth a space to explore their experiences, discuss systems of power, and imagine possibilities for both themselves and their communities.
Bringing Stories of Change to life involved a lot of relationship-building and flexibility. I initially partnered with a small arts non-profit in Madison, hoping to host the club in their community space. When that didn’t work out due to recruitment challenges, I realized I needed to rethink where the program could have the greatest impact and participants would most benefit from the experience. I knew I wanted to work directly with youth affected by the criminal legal system, so I sought out opportunities to connect with organizations already serving this population. After some outreach and coordination, I was able to offer the program to a group of youth impacted by the criminal legal system. We agreed on four bi-weekly sessions, and from there, I built additional partnerships to support the project. The Crossing Campus Ministry became an early partner, providing funding for meals to help create a warm and welcoming environment. The additional grant from the Public Humanities Exchange (HEX-U) allowed me to expand the project with a culminating family event. This final gathering gave youth a chance to share reflections from the book club, celebrate their growth, and reconnect with loved ones—demonstrating how literature can strengthen both personal resilience and family bonds during times of separation.
Together we read Nevertheless, We Persisted, a collection of personal essays written by authors including politicians, activists, actors, athletes, youth, and more, who share significant challenges that shaped their identity. Youth participants saw themselves reflected in aspects of the stories. Despite their success, no author’s path was linear, and each met challenges with resilience. In each session, we focused on a different excerpt from the book, using it as a springboard for journaling, discussion, and creativity. We engaged in open dialogue about identity, systemic injustice, personal reflection, and conducted activities designed to build social-emotional skills and confidence. One example of our activities was called ‘ANTs to PETs’. It is a CBT-informed exercise that helps youth identify Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) and reframe them into Positive Empowering Thoughts (PETs). This simple but powerful exercise gave participants some initial tools and space to begin reshaping how they view themselves and their futures.
Throughout the four sessions, we also engaged in ongoing projects that built progressively over time and required thoughtful effort each time we met. Our group project called the Resilience Tree was created to visually represent the roots that ground us: the trunk reflects our day-to-day actions, and the leaves and blossoms symbolize what we took from this experience and our future dreams. Additionally, in our sessions, each group created an individual poster project that they worked on from sessions two through four. Each participant selected an excerpt from the book and illustrated how it connected to their personal story, their community, or the world they want to help build. These projects were shared during our culminating family event, and gave participants a chance to share their takeaways from the book club with those who support them including family members and staff of the host space for the club. Their projects were thoughtful, creative, and often deeply moving. Each one served as a testament to the insight and strength each of the young people had when given the opportunity to reflect and express themselves.
Creating and facilitating Stories of Change reminded me that when we create intentional spaces for youth to be seen, heard, and supported, they show up with honesty, insight, and incredible strength. Watching the participants make connections between the stories in the book and their own lives reaffirmed my belief in the power of literature and the resilience of young people. As I move forward in my journey as a social worker, I hope to continue building programs that amplify youth voices, challenge systemic barriers, and create spaces for growth and possibility. Additionally, I hope that Stories of Change can serve as a model for how we invest in the voices, creativity, and leadership of youth, especially those who are often marginalized and overlooked.