Stories not only enrich lives, they bring comfort, inspire courage, and spark imagination; they build and foster community in a truly democratic fashion, promoting healing and wholeness. The International Storytelling Center (ISC) has long known that storytelling has the power to change the world, and our empowerment initiative Stories for Change speaks directly to this power.
The Stories for Change project encompasses three unique curricula with a singular focus—using the power of story to endow at-risk youth and young adults with the skills they need to overcome barriers and become positive, creative members of their communities. The programs are divided by age and are designed specifically for at-risk and vulnerable populations. Annually, Stories for Change serves nearly 3,000 youth and young adults ages 10-30 across a six-county region. It is estimated that as many as a third of those under age 18 in this area have at least three ACEs (adverse childhood experiences,) and almost half have experienced trauma of some kind. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to raise these numbers. Such statistics are due to a variety of possible factors—systemic poverty, lack of healthcare access, the opioid epidemic, domestic violence, racial tension, and others—but Stories for Change offers a strategic, narrative-based approach to intervention and healing. Stories emerge from experiences of trauma and can be shaped into powerful and diverse methods of artistic expression. Certainly, trauma and turmoil affect our stories, but they do not define them. Narratives of fear and pain can be transformed into stories of power and resilience. Through high-impact workshops, led by master storytellers alongside trauma-informed care specialists, Stories for Change participants receive training from leading teaching artists, develop critical personal and interpersonal skills, and learn how to re-write their stories, creating a sense of agency and empowerment in their futures. Each program is carefully designed using best practices of applied storytelling and trauma-informed care techniques to help participants build strength, resilience, confidence, and empathy. Most importantly, participants learn their stories matter—they learn how to be the stories for change in the world. _____ Project Website: click here State: Tennessee Category: Underserved Community Outreach |