Age
10
Country of Residence
United States
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
Our journey began with a simple question: What if children could inspire other children to fall in love with reading? We are Jane and Esther, two sisters who believe stories can change lives. Jane loves reading, storytelling, and inspiring younger children to discover the magic of books. Esther is passionate about technology, animation, filming, and video editing. She enjoys using her creative skills to bring stories to life. Our "aha!" moment came when we realized that combining our talents could make reading more exciting and accessible to children beyond our community. Together, we launched Bedtime Story with Jane. Jane became the storytelling lead, while Esther transformed the stories into engaging videos using her technical and creative skills. We also began creating original music to make our storytelling experience more memorable. As our audience grew to over 4,000 families across multiple countries, we realized our videos could also help children from non-English-speaking backgrounds enjoy stories and become familiar with English. This inspired us to expand our vision into JanEsther Sisters: Stories That Shape Futures. We believe children don't have to wait until adulthood to make a difference. With imagination, teamwork, and technology, we can inspire young readers today and help shape brighter futures.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
We believe that children can inspire change by sharing their talents and encouraging others to take action. Through our JanEsther Sisters platform, we have reached more than 4,000 families across multiple countries, sharing stories, original music, and educational videos that encourage children to develop a love for reading. We also introduce our literacy initiative to schools and families, helping educators and parents discover new ways to make reading enjoyable for children. Our message is that every child has something valuable to contribute, whether through reading, storytelling, creativity, or helping someone else. As our project grows, we want to encourage children to participate in storytelling activities, share their own ideas, and become young literacy ambassadors. We hope to involve parents, teachers, libraries, and community volunteers in future reading events and book donation activities. We also want to encourage other young people to use technology and creativity to solve problems they see in their communities. Our goal is to build a movement where children do more than enjoy stories. They become confident readers, imaginative creators, and compassionate young leaders who help others. We believe no one is too young to make a difference.
How many people are on your team?
2
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
What began as a small idea between two sisters has grown into an international literacy initiative reaching more than 4,000 families across multiple countries. Through our JanEsther Sisters platform, we share storytelling videos, original music, and educational content that encourage children to read, imagine, and develop confidence. Our international reach includes children from non-English-speaking backgrounds who can listen to English storytelling and become familiar with new vocabulary and pronunciation. We have also introduced our literacy initiative to local school communities, sharing information with educators and families and encouraging opportunities for children to participate in reading activities. One of our proudest achievements is creating our own original music to support our storytelling program. We are also developing our first children's storybook, Mia's Big Dream, which will allow us to expand beyond reading existing stories to sharing stories we create ourselves. Our greatest achievement is showing that children can use their creativity and talents to make a difference. We hope to build on this foundation by publishing books, strengthening school partnerships, and distributing reading materials to children who need them.
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Growth (We’ve moved past the very first activities and are beginning to have consistent weekly or monthly impact)
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
.JanEsther Sisters: Stories That Shape Futures began as Bedtime Story with Jane. Led by sisters Jane, the storyteller, and Esther, who uses her tech skills for animation, filming, and video editing, this youth-led literacy initiative has reached over 4,000 families across countries. Through stories, original music, and creative videos, they inspire children, including English learners, to read and dream. Next, they plan original books, animation, and book-giving to reach more children.
Project title
JanEsther Sisters: Stories That Shape Futures : Tagline-Read. Dream. Inspire.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Every child deserves the opportunity to read, imagine, and dream, but not every child has equal access to books or engaging literacy experiences. Some children grow up in homes where books are limited. Others struggle with reading confidence or face language barriers, especially when learning English as an additional language. We also live in a world where children spend increasing amounts of time watching digital content. We wondered: What if the same technology used for entertainment could inspire children to become better readers? As children ourselves, we understand how exciting stories can be when they are presented in a fun and relatable way. We believe reading is more than a school subject. It develops imagination, communication, confidence, and the ability to understand the world. This problem matters to us because we want children everywhere, regardless of their background or language, to experience the happiness that comes from discovering a wonderful story. We want to help make literacy more accessible, engaging, and inclusive, while showing other children that they can become part of the solution.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V8RtwIlvEc&pp=ygURamFuZXN0aGVyIHNpc3RlcnM%3D , https://www.youtube.com/@janesthersisters7013
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, we want to grow JanEsther Sisters: Stories That Shape Futures into a stronger youth-led literacy initiative that reaches more children through digital storytelling and community partnerships. Our first goal is to publish Mia's Big Dream, our original children's storybook, which encourages children to believe in themselves and dream about their futures. We also plan to develop an animated version of the story to make it engaging for children who enjoy visual learning. We want to strengthen partnerships with schools, libraries, and community organizations to organize storytelling activities and encourage more children to read. Inspired by Dolly Parton's literacy initiatives, we hope to launch a book-giving effort that provides storybooks to children in underserved communities. We also plan to create more educational videos and original songs that support literacy and help children from non-English-speaking backgrounds engage with English storytelling. We will track our progress through audience reach, school engagement, books distributed, and feedback from families and educators. Our biggest dream is to inspire other young people to discover their talents and use them to help their communities.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Our innovation is built on a simple belief: children can inspire other children to become readers, creators, and changemakers. What makes our project different is that it is designed and led by two young sisters who understand how children connect with stories, music, and technology. Rather than relying on traditional reading methods alone, we combine peer-to-peer storytelling, original music, digital media, and creative learning experiences. Jane brings stories to life as a young reader, making storytelling relatable to children her age and younger. Esther uses her interest in technology and media production to transform these stories into engaging videos that can reach children across countries and cultures. Our approach also creates opportunities for children from non-English-speaking backgrounds to become familiar with English through enjoyable storytelling. We are now taking our innovation further by developing our first original children's book, Mia's Big Dream, alongside plans for an animated version. But our vision does not end with creating content. Inspired by Dolly Parton's book-giving initiatives, we want to connect digital literacy with real-world action by providing books to children who may not have access to them. We believe technology should not replace books. Instead, it should help children discover them. Our approach connects three powerful ideas: children learning through stories, children creating stories, and children sharing the gift of reading with others. We want young people to understand that their talents can become tools for positive change.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
We created JanEsther Sisters: Stories That Shape Futures to make reading enjoyable, accessible, and inspiring through a combination of peer-to-peer storytelling, original music, digital creativity, and community engagement. Our initiative began with Bedtime Story with Jane, a children's storytelling program where Jane reads engaging stories while Esther handles video production, editing, and creative media. Through our YouTube platform, children can enjoy storytelling experiences that introduce new vocabulary, encourage imagination, and promote positive values. Our videos also reach children from non-English-speaking backgrounds, giving them opportunities to hear English words, follow stories, and become more familiar with the language. We create original songs to make our literacy message enjoyable and memorable. Beyond online storytelling, we promote our initiative through school outreach and engagement with families and educators. We are now expanding from sharing stories to creating our own. Our first children's book, Mia's Big Dream, encourages children to believe in themselves and imagine the possibilities of their future. We plan to publish the book and develop an animated version to engage children who enjoy visual learning. Inspired by Dolly Parton's commitment to childhood literacy, we also hope to distribute books to children in underserved communities. Our vision is to create a cycle of positive change: children discover stories, develop their creativity, and eventually help other children experience the gift of reading.
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Our team consists of two sisters who combine our talents to lead the project. Jane is the founder, storyteller, and young literacy advocate. She selects and presents stories and develops creative ideas. Esther leads video production, editing, technology, animations, and visual storytelling. Together, we plan content, create original music, make decisions, and develop ideas to expand our literacy outreach. We believe teamwork allows us to accomplish more than either of us could achieve alone.
