The Movement began when a mother approached pastor Clarence X. Presley with an all-too-common dilemma. If she let her son roam freely with his friends, she worried he might join a gang. On the other hand, keeping him home might lead him to rebel behind her back.

Thus, The Session, a youth outreach group that gave birth to The Movement, began in Tukwila. The organization focuses on providing the young people with what they told Presley they need-- a safe place, people who will listen to them, and help finding jobs.

It was the second request that ultimately shaped the movement's focus on storytelling.

"We all have a story," Presley said, "but many of us don't truly know our own story."

Presley identified this lack of personal narrative as a primary factor in the struggles many youth undergo to find connection and direction in their lives.

To harness what Presley calls "the power of story," The Movement creates environments where youth, aided by slightly older interns, many from the Highline School District's Big Picture High School, can tell their stories. Big Picture is an alternative high school housed at the old Glacier High site in SeaTac that emphasizes learning through internships.

Teachers and staff members are encouraged to join, as long as they are willing to share their own narratives and vulnerabilities.

Plans for the future, or "destiny awareness," tend to spring naturally from the trust and self-awareness that storytelling fosters.

Employee Terikka Faciane facilitates the process. She helps youth discover their strengths and passions so they can answer the persistent question, "Where do you want to go now?"

Lakesha Gates, who attends Presley's church, applies the strategies she learned while working with the College Success Foundation to prepare students for the next stage in their education or jobs.

"You can be the janitor, or you can run the business," Presley said, describing how The Movement's participants are encouraged to enter any career they truly love.

Though The Movement is in its third year of operation, Presley related several stories of youth who have thrived in the group's environment.

One participant, a transient who had already committed a felony and did not have enough credits to graduate from high school, became one of The Movement's leaders. He now has his own home and a job with benefits.

Other students credit the group with helping them break drug addictions and complete their educations.

While The Movement's motto, "moving high risk youth into a positive future," seems to fit the organization's record, Presley said that a more appropriate slogan would be, "moving you into a positive future," because the movement is ultimately for everyone.

"Our lives have been changed."

For more information, visit www.themovementlife.org