Now narrating:
A new generation of storytellers
Imagine Louder: Storytelling for young changemakers in Iztapalapa, Mexico City
Every storyteller starts as a listener.
Through Imagine Louder, Girl Rising and Audible are helping at least 300 young people aged 16-18 in Iztapalapa, Mexico City leap from listening to being heard.
In 2026, Girl Rising and Audible piloted a new approach to storytelling in Iztapalapa, combining Girl Rising’s Storytelling curriculum with curated Audible content. The pilot showed that when young people listen, create and tell stories, they build confidence in their voices, creativity and the value they place on their own lived experiences.
Building on that learning, Imagine Louder brings storytelling to life through interactive sessions of listening, discussion, creative exploration, reflection and story-building. Young people will dive into Audible’s world of audio storytelling while building skills in communication, critical thinking, collaboration and self-expression, turning their experiences, ideas and questions into stories of their own.
The journey will culminate in a Storytellers Fest, where young people will share the stories they’ve created and the stories that inspired them.
Imagine Louder is an Audible initiative designed to fuel imagination, discovery and a love of listening among young people. At launch, Imagine Louder provides free six-month Audible Premium memberships to young people aged 12 to 18 in the US, UK and Mexico, with plans to expand to additional countries in subsequent years – offering access to over 180,000 hours of audio content per membership.
This is just the beginning. Stay tuned as their stories unfold!
“Reading a book you can imagine, but you can’t hear how the characters develop or their voices. This has helped me discover how it’s important to listen carefully to words and even how to pronounce them, because there are times when I don’t know how a certain word is pronounced and listening helps me express myself better later.”
- PG, 17 years old
“We were played bits of audiobooks that really left me wanting more. So I think that I would use my credits [on the Audible platform] to get a book that I really want to continue listening to.”
- MM, 17 years old
I became a more critical person [after the program]. I try to analyze things that are happening in my community that can be different. The way I think about things matters, and the program helped me realize that.”
- RE, 18 years old
“I can write a poem now and do it well. It helped my language [development] because everything led to a story. It also helped me not to rely on AI, and thinking on your own helps you think critically”.
- LR, 17 years old