| Our
work in developing Silence Speaks draws not only on the Center for
Digital Storytelling’s extensive history of exploring the
relationship between narrative and multimedia, but also on an eclectic,
interdisciplinary body of theory and practice in public health,
feminist media studies and cultural studies, and popular education.
We hope the following points will help to clarify the approach we
take to digital storytelling:
1. Sharing stories in a group can be transformative. An abundance
of academic literature and anecdotal evidence from trauma studies
and global movements for justice has made it clear that speaking
one’s truth to a listening audience can have a profound impact
on a person’s ability to thrive, sustain mutually healthy
and loving relationships, and make a difference in the world.
2. Media has an important role to play in the
promotion of social and economic justice. Hearing a story and watching
it unfold with images often moves viewers more deeply than does
simply reading words on a page. Making a beautiful piece of visual
art out of an experience of human suffering can give dignity to
pain and inspire compassion and action.
3. Access to production tools is not enough.
The steady global advance of neo-liberal approaches to technology
education and media production and distribution has in many ways
prevented the development of truly innovative participatory methods.
Silence Speaks offers an alternative vision for digital video –
one that emphasizes the need to be clear on the purpose of making
media as well as the need to approach production processes in an
ethically responsible way.
4. “Participation” is complicated.
In our collaborations, we strive for transparency in determining
what participation looks like and how it will be impacted by the
inevitable power dynamics that can arise between and among facilitators
and storytellers. Rather than assuming equal ground, we work to
acknowledge inequality, promote reflection and cultural humility,
and identify strategies for balance and change in the moment and
beyond.
5. The benefits of authorship can be elusive.
Giving workshop participants ownership of their stories is crucial,
but knowing what they will gain from the experience is impossible.
Rather than publishing books based on their work or distributing
DVDs for profit, we leave decisions about how and where stories
will be shared in the hands of our collaborating partners. Proceeds
from the compilation DVD offered on this site cover duplication
and postage costs and contribute to a small fund to support future
Silence Speaks workshops.
6. Creating safe and productive spaces for watching
stories is essential. With the explosion of online video, we believe
that it’s important to question the notion that enabling isolated
individuals to view media on the web will on its own lead to substantive
change. Rather, the promotion of passive consumption of stories
about distant suffering runs the risk of encouraging pity or compassion
fatigue. We can’t ignore the lure of Internet distribution,
but we do emphasize the importance of localized story sharing strategies.
We support collaborators in conceiving of meaningful ways to contextualize
and screen digital stories, such as at counseling sessions, trainings,
or community education events; as part of social marketing or media
advocacy campaigns to promote individual or policy-level change;
and within longer-term movement building strategies that view personal
storytelling as essential to community development and political
activism.
If you would like to explore the possibility of attending or hosting
a workshop in your area, please contact
us.
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