Storytelling is never just about sharing stories. It’s about power. What gets seen, what gets valued, and ultimately what drives people to act.

In this session, we’ll explore two Philadelphia literacy initiatives, Read by 4th and Reading Assist, as living case studies. We’ll look at how the same core mission must be translated differently depending on audience, environment, and organizational realities. From citywide campaigns to regional program delivery, storytelling shifts across scale, context, and constraints.

We’ll also dig into the real-world dynamics that shape this work: tight budgets, ethical considerations, and how to use emerging tools like AI without losing your brand voice (or soul). Rather than viewing these as limitations, we’ll explore how constraints actively shape and can strengthen how stories are designed and received.

Part presentation and part guided workshop, attendees will have the chance to reflect on their own storytelling challenges and leave with practical frameworks to build trust and drive action.

Meet the Speakers

Lindsay Bedford is a storyteller and community strategist with fifteen years of experience shaping narratives across nonprofit, civic, and commercial contexts. Her work sits at the intersection of community engagement, creative direction, and systems thinking—building programs from the ground up, leading fundraising campaigns, producing public art initiatives, and helping organizations translate stories into narratives with broader institutional and civic impact. She currently serves as Development and Marketing Manager at Reading Assist and Brand Ambassador at Jasper House, a design-forward residential community in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood. Lindsay serves on the Advisory Council for Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Collab board, and supports interior design students at Drexel University and Moore College of Art & Design as a juror and thesis advisor.

Simone Partridge is a communications strategist and social impact designer working at the intersection of narrative, behavior change, and public good. As Director of Communications for Read by 4th, she aligns 1,000+ partners around one urgent goal: ensuring every child in Philadelphia reads at or above grade level by fourth grade. Over the past decade, her work has spanned flood risk, trauma healing, public health, and education equity. She’s the force behind the Anthem Award-winning Philly ABCs campaign, which reimagines the alphabet through culture and brings playful learning into public spaces. A proud West Philly native and Haverford College grad, Simone’s work is a love letter to her city and the people too often left out of the story.

In Partnership with: