Luis Ortega Email & Phone Number

United States

Since 2010, Storytellers for Change has worked with thousands of youth, educators, and organizations from across the world to harness the power of narratives to create positive social change. We are committed to inspiring action through storytelling, supporting the next generation of Storytellers for Change, and building an empathetic, inclusive, and equitable world.We believe storytelling and story-listening generate empathy and build more inclusive and equitable environments. This is why our Story-Centered approach is grounded in establishing opportunities for communities to come together to listen, learn, and co-create solutions to tackle complex social issues. From curating an event dedicated to celebrate young change makers to expanding access to clean water and oral health care, our Story-Centered approach is driving positive social change. At S4C, we provide:- Impact Storytelling (conference and event keynotes)- Storytelling, Racial Equity & Social Justice Training- Social Impact Through Storytelling ConsultingAreas of Expertise: Racial Equity, Leadership Development, Participatory Research, Youth Development, Civic and Community Engagement, Supporting Undocumented Students (K-12/HigherEd), Narrative-Based Interpretation, Facilitation, Systems Thinking, and Design Thinking. S4C projects have included developing community outreach and engagement strategies for school districts, creating leadership and civic engagement programs, establishing a center to support undocumented students in a public university, and managing a state-wide collaborative of healthcare professionals. Some our clients have included the Arcora Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the School-Based Health Alliance, the Bellevue School District, ArtPlace America, the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center at the University of Washington, and the Latino Community Fund of Washington State, among others.

440 5Th Ave N, Seattle, Wa 98109

Contracted to support the development and implementation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center's youth and public programs, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion (DEAI) strategy, and participatory and storytelling projects.- Guest curating special exhibits;- Facilitating storytelling workshops;- Facilitating youth leadership development workshops;- Designing and managing the Youth Ambassadors Program;- Facilitating DEIA dialogues and strategy;- Co-creating the Teen Action Fair and other youth programs; and- Co-creating the Discovery Center's Public Programs Cohort.

Greater Seattle Area

The WKKF Community Leadership Network is unique for its focus on: 1) advancing racial equity and racial healing in communities, 2) marshalling our collective resources and efforts to ensure all children have the opportunity to thrive, and 3) fostering a connected network of local leaders to drive transformational change.Learn more at https://wkkfcln.org/

Greater Seattle Area

Mercado.soy is a completely bilingual and easy to use online marketplace. At Mercado.soy, we recognize that language represents a strong connection to culture and for this reason we will provide a complete bilingual e-commerce (English/Spanish) solution focused on the Latino market.

Contracted to support the development and implementation of the foundation's Latino Children’s Oral Health Learning Collaborative. The collaborative aims to support participants in the development of tools, resources and strategies to improve the oral health and decrease disparities for Latino children enrolled in or eligible for the ABCD program (Access to Baby & Child Dentistry).The scope of the project includes:- Facilitating engaging learning experiences for collaborative participants to explore, develop and share best practices to work with and for the Latino community.- Engage the Collaborative participants through a human-centered design process to develop and test tools, resources and strategies for increasing access for Latino children through the ABCD program.- Document and share lessons learned from the collaborative to offer guidance for future efforts.

Contracted by the Bellevue School District's Department of Equity to facilitate and lead the Latinx Leadership & Advisory Council and with the Office of Research, Evaluation and Assessment to lead a pilot research project to better understand Latino students experiences at schools and in their communities. The scope of the projects include:- Facilitating meetings and activities to help the group identify key barriers and challenges Latino students face in their schools and communities. - Develop a report outlining the group's recommendations and best practices to support Latino students and families. - Develop a strategic and work plan for the group to implement their recommendations throughout the 2016-20117 school year. - Conducting focus groups and storytelling sessions with Latino students. - Conceptualizing the Latinx Storytelling Project.

504 S Chelan Avenue, #B Wenathcee, Wa 98801

Contracted to serve as interim director of Engage Now, a civic engagement and leadership training program to encourage students to be meaningfully engaged in the civic life of their schools and communities.- Developing a Leadership Academy for students from Chelan, Brewster, and Wenatchee HS and Wenatchee Valle College.- Facilitating leadership and civic engagement trainings for students, families, and teachers in the North Central Washington region. - Building a network of partner organizations to support the civic and leadership development of students in North Central Washington. - Additional responsibilities include fundraising, community outreach, and developing a strategic plan to expand the program to three other regions in the state (Tri-Cities, King County, and Snohomish County).

3931 Brooklyn Ave Ne, Seattle, Wa 98105

Contracted to develop the Leadership Without Borders Center to support undocumented students at the University of Washington. The project comprised of:- Creating a strategic plan for the development of the center- Conducting 43 individual interviews with undocumented students- Conceptualizing and implementing the Undocu Center model framework- Designed and implemented Undocu Ally trainings for over 300 staff and faculty at the University of Washington- Presented Undocu Ally trainings at Gonzaga University, Highline Community College, Central Washington University, and at the Washington Student Achievement Council's 2015 Pave the Way Conference. The Leadership Without Borders Center is the first center dedicated to supporting undocumented students in a public university in the Pacific Northwest. You can learn more about the model and impact of this project at: http://depts.washington.edu/ecc/lwb/about/the-model-impact/

220 Second Ave S. #103 Seattle Wa 98104

Contracted to develop El Futuro Project and Youth Philanthropy Board. The project comprised of:- Developing program structure, curriculum, and implementation plan.- Recruiting a cohort of youth leaders (HS and College) from across Washington State to participate in the program. - Facilitating meetings and leadership trainings for youth cohort. The project involved providing young leaders with an opportunity to develop leadership skills while working to address access to early learning programs for Latino families and advising the Latino Community Fund on their grant-making process.

Contracted with the Bellevue School District's Department of Equity, Odle Middle School, and Interlake High School, to facilitate various student leadership development trainings and programs. The project comprised of:- Cultural Competency and SEL training for Odle Middle School staff. - Planning and facilitating leadership trainings for middle school and high school students.- Facilitating leadership sessions for the Starting Strong program at Interlake High School.

301 21St Ave E, Seattle, Wa 98112

Contracted to build and develop a student leadership program for the Seattle World School. - Developed a student leadership curriculum to meet the needs and focus on the strengths of ELL students.- Designed and implemented a student leadership and college readiness after school program. - Facilitated six leadership conferences and career days for over 250 students. In addition, I coordinated and supported students' advocacy efforts to secure a permanent building for their school. Students presented before their school board in three different occasions to make a case for why the Seattle World School (SWS), a school that primarily serves immigrant and refugee students, deserved to have permanent home. Through their testimony, the students convinced the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors that the Seattle World School should have a centrally-located and permanent building (TT Minor). For the first time in 30 years, the students and communities of SWS will have their own school.

Master Of Education - Med, Education Leadership Organizations And Entrepreneurship

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Political Science And Government