About Us

Note: we no longer offer workshops or classes. PLEASE see below for THE BOOK -which contains the lesson plans and templates -paying it forward!

For teachers and parents and those interested in working with youth.

” A Backpack Journalist ™ helps youth find their “VOICE”

Building Resiliency through Creative Expression! Creating the Citizen Journalist of the future!

A Backpack Journalist provides documentary photography, storytelling, collection of oral histories, and real world journalism experiences for students throughout the lowcountry. Youth, ranging from elementary to middle to high school, experience Scholastic Journalism curriculum after school and Saturday, and then during a “Cover the Assignment”. “Backpacks'” assignments have included gathering the story of Larry Doby, American League African American Player in 1947 to break the color line, to Life on Johns Island during the Civil Rights era, and attending and reporting on public events in the lowcountry. Team Backpack Journalist publish via Social Media applications, short films, and Theatrical Plays supported by printed books on topics. Recently, emphasis on documentary photography and filmmaking, have expanded the assignments to include the important contributions of American photographers such as Leonard Freed. Supporting the Gullah Society in this endeavor has offered the “backpackers” expanded opportunities to participate in “Community Conversations” and to expand our team’s education and arts education.

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At A Backpack Journalist (“backpack”), we refer to the successful journey through self-expression as “finding of one’s voice”. We believe that self-expression is key to developing one’s own confidence, and in getting to know your self. We believe also, that once found, this “Voice” forms the necessary foundation for a resilient life and allows the youth to grow forward in a more happy and well-adjusted manner.

“Backpack”, originally was created for 12-17 year olds, has also served younger children via a hands on experience and our “About me – Little Backpackers curriculum” .

“Backpack” has been used by FFA (What’s Your Story!”), Brandon Hall School (Cowboy Poetry), National Parks (Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument), Cantigny Park (First Division Museum, Freedom Express), National Guard Youth Programs – Youth Symposium, Yellow Ribbon Events (North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, Iowa) US Army Reserve Child and Youth (ARTP) and at Ft. Campbell Kentucky (MWR) and National Guard Youth Programs – Symposiums (Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Oregon, Arizona, Florida). “Backpack” movies provide an intimate inside view of the curricula at workshops, Cover the Assignment events and teens at work, displaying positive outcomes of their own resilience. These movies can be found on our You Tube Channel, and also via DoD links (Yellow Ribbon Events).

During the 2014-2015 school year, A Backpack Journalist was a partner to the Charleston Promise Neighborhood, Sanders Clyde School, and worked in the expanded day program for elementary school students, and at Burke Middle High School with middle to high school/Downtown Community Center/21st Century After School.

Both programs were PILOTS, and continued forward with our modified, expanded lesson plans on “Cover the Assignment”, “What’s your Story”, and TEAMBACKPACKJOURNALISTS (www.teambackpackjournalists.com – under construction) in various schools in the Charleston County School District. A book – Baseball, The RiverDogs and the Life of Larry Doby was one of the outcomes of the school year. This book includes a lesson plan/thematic unit for teachers, aligned with Social Studies standards for South Carolina and other states.

In the 2015-2016 School year, we supported a STEAM project in a partnership with Hendrick Automotive, and developed a series of lesson plans and a book focused on Cars & Parts for the elementary school demographic. Sanders Clyde School was chosen as the pilot site and also St. Julian Devine, the City of Charleston, Recreation Department.

In 2017, we created a short film on the SC Ports Authority, the ports that connect. It is available on our YOUTUBE CHANNEL

“Team Backpack Journalists” classes are now offered throughout the Charleston area at schools.

Afterschool programming included Cars & Parts, a STEM based program, and multiple Cover the Assignments through our Photography and Writing curriculum. Our community partnerships are key to the success of our programming.

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A Backpack Journalist curricula has at it’s foundation Writing. Photography, Song writing, Digital Storytelling/Film making, and Cowboy Poetry complete the module selection. A typical workshop will combine two of the modules. There is also a “Little Backpackers” for 6-11. Note: we no longer offer workshops or classes. PLEASE see below for THE BOOK -which contains the lesson plans and templates -paying it forward!

“Real World Experiences” – shared in new BOOK~

Our goal is to also offer “REAL WORLD” experiences for youth who attend our program and workshops as observers and reporters:

Our memories included

A Backpack Journalist has supported the following national “REAL WORLD” events:

NGB Youth Symposium (New Orleans – 2010)
NGAUS (Austin, Texas – 2010)
CNN/HLN January 2011
NGB Volunteer Symposium & USO HOMEFRONT EVENT
AUSA (Washington, DC 2011 & 2012 & 2013)
DCOE (Washington, DC 2012) – Release of our first MUSIC VIDEO – PTSD WON’T STOP ME
GI FILM FESTIVAL (Washington, DC 2012 & 2013 & 2014)
Warrior Film Works – new partnership
Senior Leadership Conference & Change of Command, US ARMY RESERVES (June, 2012)
Washington, DC – Pentagon, White House, Army Ten Miler, AUSA
Working the Hill – 2013 & Visiting The Heritage Foundation/briefings
Vietnam Veterans THE EDUCATION CENTER Groundbreaking
Month of the Military Child – 2013 – “Free” website for projects for use
4H – National Conference – April 2013 (Grantee – 4H)
Walter Reed Military Hospital – 2nd Annual Military Health Continuum for the Arts and Well-being (Grantee/Global Art National Initiative).
Points of Light Conference, Washington, DC
Chicago – Cantigny Park – First Division Museum – Short Documentary (Grantee of the McCormick Foundation/AUSA)
Colorado – Florissant National Park, Grant from the National Park Service. Nature Storytelling.
New Hampshire – National Guard/University of New Hampshire – Extension Division/4H/Operation Military Kids (Collecting the stories of New Hampshire – New England Veterans.
Oregon National Guard, Youth Symposium, Mt. Hood, Oregon
Colorado National Guard, Yellow Ribbon Event, Denver, Colorado
Association of United States Army, Washington, DC – Family Forum
Future Farmers of America, FFA, Louisville, Kentucky – What’s your story? & Cowboy Poetry. (multiple years)
Calvin Center – A Cowboy Salute for Military Families!
Golden Corral – Veterans Day Events 2013-2014-2015
Cyber Defense – US Air Force Association – 2013-2014
ABC, Channel 4 – Low Country Live – presentation of pilot program with the CCSD.
ABC Channel 4 – Low Country Live – Amir Wells & Linda Dennis (Book on Baseball and Larry Doby)
First Day Festival – partner with the YWCA, and supported their campaign to end racism.2015-2016
SC Council on Social Studies – Baseball, The RiverDogs, and the Life of Larry Doby
Florida National Guard, Youth Symposium
SC Military Museum – Veteran’s Day, 2016 (‘In their own words, Oral Histories of SC Vietnam Veterans)
Richland One Social Studies teachers – TPD, 2016 – 2017
First day, Charleston, SC.
“Ain’t you got the right to the Tree of Life” – Piccolo, 2017
Film Fest – 2018 – “off broadway” performance
2020 – 2021- Pandemic happened!
2021-2022 – MINI MIMES performances – at Sandpiper Independent Living and Charleston Christmas Parade and Mt. Pleasant, SC.

Our military family service:

We have served: US Army Reserves, Child & Youth & School Services (Crystal City, Virginia), Texas Military Forces Yellow Ribbon Program (Camp Mabry, Texas), National Guard Bureau Joint Family Programs –Youth Symposium, 2010, New Orleans, Louisiana (Washington, DC). National Guard of United States (NGAUS) and National Guard Association of Texas (NGAT) – Austin, Texas 2010 and AUSA – Washington, DC October 2011. National Guard Family Programs: Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, NC (Air Guard), Iowa (AG), Arizona, Texas.

Charleston, SC – Afterschool – Via Charleston Promise Neighborhood, and within Charleston County School District – after school enrichment.

NOTE: We. no longer offer live classes or summer camps.

THE BOOK for teachers and parents and those interested in serving youth – releases on August 12 via AMAZON Books or this website:

“Learn how-to empower youth through storytelling with lesson plans and templates provided by our Backpack Journalist lesson plans and templates. Help insurance next generation of storytellers. All about youth empowerment using tried and true experience es and lesson plans!”

HOW WE BEGAN:

Linda Dennis, program manager and volunteer, was working with a child at a family day at Ft.Bragg, North Carolina in 2008. The child, 8 years old, was making a greeting card to be sent to his deployed father. His older brother stepped up to the table, but did not want to make a card. When asked if he would like to write his Dad a letter, the youth commented, “I don’t know how!”. After spending a few minutes with the youth, and encouraging him to simply write two words: “thank-you”, what came next to all those present, was the clear realization that the children of deployed service members(including all ages of youth) could be struggling with expressing themselves. The struggle that was observed was a mix of feelings ranging from “guilt to pride”. The youth was afraid to burden their parent with the knowledge of how much they missed them, to being thankful for such a brave parent. Worse, the youth did not know how to write!

(Data later confirmed this from the RAND CORPORATION: Views from the Home front: http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9568.html)

From that day forward, research went underway to determine what types of “writing-expression programs” were available to support military youth who had parents deployed, and or considered at-risk. Schools/educators offered English, but somehow the creative element was often left out due to the requirement of meeting the test scores at the district level. Also, the programs developed to support youth of deployed service members did not include the writing or a self-expression component.

Build Resilience through Creative Expression became therefore the mission of A Backpack Journalist, and the teaching methods and teachers were found quickly, and often by chance, via a national network of Journalism teachers and business professionals at summer camps and workshops.

Each teacher expressed a sense of caring, and a “servant’s heart” as all worked together in unison.

Think of “A Backpack Journalist” as follows:

All the electronic tools one needs to express one’s self can fit into a backpack.
Teens of today are NATIVES to technology and love using the gadgets/computers,etc.
We engage youth with the technology components, and use of the MAC and then combine the educational values.
All the stresses of life often are found piled up on our backs and weigh our hearts down – “thus backpack”.
Creative Expression is a comfortable journey. It’s a safe way for children of all ages to go and find their “voice”.

And, eureka! Writing is easy, fun and educational. Writing is the foundation for all of the modules of A Backpack Journalist. Can one imagine a career that does not require writing?

So if the youth thinks that they cannot “write”. Ok. Then what about lyrics for a song? Asking questions that can be assembled into an interview for a broadcast or composing a Cowboy Poem? Or perhaps, taking the lens of a camera and telling a story, and finding the soul of a person?

That’s A Backpack Journalist!

Now, onto – Cover the Assignment! It’s “real-world” experiences, credentialing as press! Nothing like meeting face to face policy makers and people in our world who are making a difference! Stay tuned as our “backpackers” move forward. To participate with us, the young person must have participated in a workshop and shown an aptitude towards our overall mission! Plus be willing to often volunteer and work hard and on the go!
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For information:

[email protected]

For information: [email protected]

Coming in 2025

Now adding PANTOMIME as a communication tool!

Many assume Pantomime is only a theatrical endeavor. Read all about it here!Here at A Backpack Journalist, under the direction of Linda Dennis, with the theatrical support of Hester Kamin at Synetic Theatre, in Arlington, Virginia, we have been able to integrate the use of Pantomime to communicate and create stories!

These stories include literary greats such as TALL TALES, Classics fom days gone by, going live in a neighborhood by creating a playground with a tug of war, going to kitchen baking cookies and living outside even sailing on a pirate ship.

Students practice learning the movements and sequences to create the story without speaking. As the story unfolds in silence, students gain self-awareness and a confidence in their own ability to communicate. NO words spoken. Another interesting outcome is the amount of exercise that each student completes by practicing the movements. Pantomime “moves”!

PLUS – we are so inspired by the comedic humor of Charlie Chaplin and love the ability to add the “gags” along with the stories! Goal is to always add in a funny!

Check out “In search of a Chocolate Covered Strawberry!”. MINI MIMES visited Sweet Juleps with raw strawberries, with one end of the berry- cut open. Alas – the gag was to try and fill that end of the strawberry with “Chocolate”.

Bonus: we use IPads to help create the scripts/storyboards and a final filming of each Pantomime – Story Performance.

Our performances are offered free – in a POP-UP. What’s a POP-UP – often held outside in a courtyard, a closed street area or parking lot!

Research based:

The teen demographic is faced with multiple challenges that range from growing up, to academic and peer pressure issues. At risk youth face these issues, plus economic and often living in a one-parent household. Military youth issues are intensified due to deployments and reintegration and in general, the military family lifestyle.