We read the agenda.
So you don't have to.

No — and the distinction matters. Journalism has editors, fact-checkers, legal review, and institutional accountability. StorySeed has none of those things. What it has is a person who reads the agenda every week and says what they found in plain English.

Think of it as civic orientation, not reporting. We are pointing at the document and reading it out loud. If something is wrong, the email is below — yes, we read it.

Depends what you mean. We do not endorse candidates. We do not have a party affiliation. We do not tell you how to vote.

We do point out when organizations serving vulnerable people are underfunded, when public rooms are empty, and when the gap between what was requested and what was approved has real consequences. If you find that political, we understand. We find it Tuesday.

That is exactly what we want. Use the upload link in the contact section below. Include a note about the meeting name, date, and what specifically confused you. We will go through it, translate the relevant parts into something a human can understand, and turn it into an episode or use it to inform one. You do not need to understand it. That is our job.

The Import Economy series and The Dais are specific to Colorado Springs and El Paso County. But the Lesson Zero curriculum applies anywhere — the budget structure is the same in every American city. The civic engagement playbook is the same. The letter templates work in any county. The 4–12 hour framework does not require you to live near us.

If you want to do something similar in your city, email us. We will tell you everything we know.

Start with four hours. One meeting, one written public comment. No application required for most meetings — you walk in, you sign in, you sit down. Try it once before you decide anything about it.

If you want to apply for an official board position, El Paso County has a formal process at bocc.elpasoco.com/board-county-commissioners/volunteer/ or email Volunteer@elpasoco.com. Formal positions require more. Attending a public meeting requires a Tuesday afternoon and the ability to find parking on Vermijo.

VLUNTR — currently in development — will make it easier to track your time and build a portable record of your participation. Watch this space.

Yes. All four workbooks are free to download and print. Teacher guides for Lessons 1 and 2 are also available. No license fee, no permission required, no form to fill out.

If you use it and something doesn't work for your classroom, email us. We would genuinely like to know.

StorySeed Studios is an independent project based in Colorado Springs. It is run by one person. It is free. It is not affiliated with any government agency, political party, or organization whose funding depends on saying the right things about anyone.

The why: a series of local government meetings, a funding committee agenda, a number that didn't add up, and a persistent feeling that the people in that room were making consequential decisions in front of nobody. The Dais is the first project. We're watching how it goes.