The power of storytelling to change hearts and minds.

Storytelling as a tool for change — youth-led media and art that replace dominant narratives of masculinity and womanhood with counter stories.

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Storytelling for change

MCSR uses storytelling as a mechanism for connecting people and ideas — understanding the dominant stories of masculinity and womanhood, and replacing them with counter stories. Youth-led media and art projects are woven through our youth-development curricula and public-education campaigns.

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This is the first space where I felt safe enough to be honest about who I am and who I want to become. It changed how I show up for the people around me.

Jordan R., Program Participant

The shift in our students is real. They are more thoughtful, more respectful, and far more willing to step up and lead.

Maya T., School Counselor, Ballou High School

MCSR does not just talk about prevention. They build the relationships and the skills that actually change how people treat each other.

Devon W., Community Partner, Community Partner Org

I watched my child find their voice here. They came home with a confidence and a compassion I had not seen before.

Alicia G., Parent

Arts and Media Club What we make

Our arts work spans production, film, and live public conversation.

  • Counter Stories Productions — young people creating visual, audio, and digital content on healthier identity
  • Nameless — a documentary on child sex trafficking in Washington, DC, featuring 15 expert voices
  • The National Healthy Masculinity Conversation Series — facilitated dialogues broadcast live

Nameless

Nameless addresses child sex trafficking in Washington, DC. Built around 15 expert interviews, the film is structured in three parts: how trafficking occurs, the populations most vulnerable to it, and the strategies that prevent it.

Explore Our Other Community Initiatives Programs

HMAP

An international catalyst examining the intersections of masculinity and violence — and advancing healthy, non-violent masculinity. HMAP messaging has reached more than 60 million people since 2012.

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DCCESV

Washington, DC's federally designated state sexual-assault coalition — a community-informed collective of service providers and allied professionals strengthening the District's response to sexual violence.

Learn More →

ASK

Assault. Services. Knowledge. — a website and mobile app that puts community-specific sexual assault, domestic violence, and intimate-partner-violence resources in one place.

Learn More →