| Limited
resources have made it difficult to adequately document the profound
impact on participants of creating a story in a Silence Speaks workshop.
While we do our best to evaluate how participants experience workshops,
it’s often difficult to compile surveys and prepare coherent
summaries. But noteworthy individual comments over the years include:
"For me, it is important to know that spaces
for women are being created for survivors of violence to express
their experiences. I loved the fact that the space created is one
that enables participants to feel safe and supported. I also like
the marriage of teaching and learning new skills while sharing experiences
of violence."
"The group was very diverse in age and ethnicity.
It was an excellent avenue to gain valuable skills and be creative,
and the teachers were excellent. I loved everyone's stories and
having good quality software and hardware at my fingertips. I really
liked the way you paced and organized the Photoshop and Premiere
tutorials; complicated information was conveyed in a clear manner."
"I loved the story sharing circle the best
. . . for me, it was the first time I was ever sharing my story
in a supportive environment with other survivors and women. I am
so proud of my work, and I can't tell you how good that makes me
feel."
"The teacher who assisted me in recording
my story was also my witness during our session, and she created
a container of safety for me to tell my story. I remember what it
felt like to walk out of the recording room that day. I felt different,
like I'd found some resolution to something I never thought I'd
get resolution from. My story in my own voice. Wow, my experience
will be taken seriously now; I'll finally be heard."
"I can't underscore enough how much the
coaching meant to me as a participant. I get very anxious around
technology, and in fact I needed a lot of personalized attention
at times. In no way did any of the teachers make me feel stupid
or that I was asking for too much."
In 2004, we were fortunate enough to work with
an intern who conducted a qualitative study of Silence Speaks as
her Masters in Social Work thesis project. She interviewed a small
group of workshop participants and identified five themes that were
common for most of them. Following is an excerpt from her study:
“First, the group process provided a sense
of connection, support and validation. Second, creating a digital
story provided an opportunity for new forms of self-expression leading
to new and meaningful insights. Third, participants felt able to
challenge the silencing effect their experiences of violence had
had on them, which allowed them to claim or reclaim aspects of their
selves. Fourth, the process engendered feelings of pride and satisfaction
for participants. Finally, sharing their completed digital stories
with others led participants to feel a sense of social agency whereby
they believed their digital stories impacted or had the potential
to impact viewers. The results reveal that the Silence Speaks model
shares much in common with group work and empowerment-based social
work practice.”
For more information about this Silence Speaks
evaluation, please contact
us.
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