Stories Going Around
This model is particularly intended for professionals, volunteers and activists, that are engaged in various campaigns and social actions, and that are interested in researching and experimenting with more effective and engaging forms of participation…!
We will propose to you a method of animation through stories and narrative practices, which will be a useful tool to create small groups to raise awareness and action in many different places and with different people.
This is an animation construction in three phases (carried out during a meeting of two hours):
1 - A story to arouse knowledge and emotions - the director, alone or aided by others, tells the story of a project, an action of social change, campaign ...
2 - Let’s narrate ourselves! - A phase in which participants are urged to write or tell their stories (related to the theme of the meeting)
3 - Incentives for action - the director of the meeting proposes some simple actions that everyone can do (becoming multipliers, performing specific actions in support of a specific project or campaign that you want to promote).
This is an animation construction in three phases (carried out during a meeting of two hours):
1 - A story to arouse knowledge and emotions - the director, alone or aided by others, tells the story of a project, an action of social change, campaign ...
2 - Let’s narrate ourselves! - A phase in which participants are urged to write or tell their stories (related to the theme of the meeting)
3 - Incentives for action - the director of the meeting proposes some simple actions that everyone can do (becoming multipliers, performing specific actions in support of a specific project or campaign that you want to promote).
Example of an activity performed by the method of “Circle of Stories”
We tell you an experience that took place at the Bottega del Mondo Aequa Domus, Via di Santa 'Eufemia, 9 Rome, in a workshop related to the projects: European Memories (www.europeanmemories.eu) - Stories of Possible Europe (www.possible -europe.eu)-Stories of a Possible Worlds (www.powos.org), and implemented with the adherence of AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL-Lazio, Cooperativa Pangea-Niente di troppo, Domus Aequa, Cooperativa Equazione, and with the support of the Provincial Council of Rome , Culture Department.
"The Story of Stuff"
All the things have their stories. If the objects that we use every day, or the food that we eat, would be able to talk, they would have many things to tell ... We will try, during the meeting, to discover the stories of some special items, to listen and to learn about alternative production projects, and Ethical Consumption. We also propose to all those interested in partecipating, to bring their “sentimental objects” (objects that hold a sentimental value). You can tell us its story ...
1.FirstPart: The meeting begins with the story of Cinzia, the head of the shop. She tells us the story of an object: a teapot made in Vietnam, which is sold in her shop. She has a great bond of affection with this object, because it represents the beginning of her commitment to fair trade and also because it helped the group of young Vietnamese to create the association which now works in the creation of a line of objects, which include this teapot.
2.Second Part The participants are invited to "narrate themeselves through an object." Each person is asked to describe an object that tells something about him. After the individual time of writing, the director invites the participants to share their stories with other people. The sharing of stories follows some rules in order to facilitate the engaging time: the rules are introduced by the director before the reading:
- The reader is invited to read his story without adding any further comments in order to keep the musicality of the story; - The group will hear the stories without making any comments and accepting the gift that the person who reads does to all them.
3.Third Part: a. Information Time by the view of the video directed by Louis Fox. "The Story of Stuff"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8
b. Incentives for action: i. We invite you to share with at least 10 other people-either directly or remotely through the web- the information that we have proposed here and that you will soon find on the web sites below (but may also be an opportunity to invite some friends and organize a dinner meeting like this!). ii. We invite you to arrange a meeting like this in another place (home, work, neighborhood ...) iii. We invite you to increase your awareness as consumers, both by supporting Fair Trade products that avoide products that "incorporate" processes which don’t respect human rights and the environment. iv. We invite you to volunteer in our shops or in other similar trade fair engaged sites in the city.
4. Fourth Part Afterwards the animators will contact the participants and will send them the information material, asking them to carry out the actions that they have committed to. Here you have an example of an e-mail sent by the animators after the meeting. In this case, the stories written by participants were loaded on the digital archive “European Memories” and they are still on-line