Guide to Visual Storytelling

GUIDE TO

VISUAL STORYTELLING

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VISUAL STORYTELLING It seems stories are hard-wired into our psyche.

People have been passing information along via storytelling for as long as humans have had a rich language to draw from. Stories are a great way to connect people with ideas, at a human level. A well-told story – focused on sharing pertinent details that express surprising meaning and underlying emotions – affects the emotions and the intellect simultaneously.

USING THIS BOOK QR CODES

This book is meant as a guide only. Use it to draw inspiration and gather tips and tools that may be useful. Remember that there are no steadfast rules when it comes to storytelling.

Throughout this book, you will find QR codes (like the one in the image at the bottom left of this page). These codes carry data that can be used to connect you to further information outside of this book. QR codes may seem complex and technical, but using them is actually quite simple if you follow these steps: 1. On your mobile phone, go to your App Store and search “QR Code�. Your search will yield many apps that will read QR codes, and many of these are free. We recommend QR Reader for iPhone, although there are many reliable apps that will do the same thing.

2. Download the app.

3. Open the app.

4. Point your cellphone camera at the QR code you want to read. The app will automatically decipher the code and connect you to the information or link contained within it.

Use this with the QR codes in this book to access additional information 2

“STORIES ARE HOW WE THINK. THEY ARE HOW WE MAKE MEANING OF LIFE. CALL THEM SCHEMAS, SCRIPTS, COGNITIVE MAPS, MENTAL MODELS, METAPHORS, OR NARRATIVES. STORIES ARE HOW WE EXPLAIN HOW THINGS WORK, HOW WE MAKE DECISIONS, HOW WE PERSUADE OTHERS, HOW WE UNDERSTAND OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD, CREATE IDENTITIES, AND DEFINE AND TEACH SOCIAL VALUES.” -DR. PAMELA RUTLEDGE

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The way the project has been leading positive social change is through documenting inspiring stories in film, photographs and other art forms depicting people with disabilities making our communities better places.

The stories themselves are powerful change agents that challenge negative stereotypes and we hope inspire people to take action to include people with disabilities in all aspects of community life. The 30 plus stories that have been documented so far have been shared internationally and we are excited that the project is about to be showcased as an important social innovation in a renowned innovation magazine.

Why the project matters: Many people with disabilities in our communities still live on the margins in isolation and are not offered the same opportunities most citizens are afforded. Inspiring stories have the power to shift attitudes, build empathy and move people to action. The project also matters because it is a unique approach to education in that people with disabilities, University of Alberta students and SKILLS Society staff explore together what being good citizens can mean and about how we might dissolve barriers to citizenship for people with disabilities.

How the project began: Project Citizenship was launched in 2011 with help from a partnership grant from the University of Alberta Community Service-Learning program. The initial partners included University of Alberta Community Service-Learning, SKILLS Society and Nina Haggerty center for the arts. Now a growing collective is building of individuals, businesses, art studios, academics, community builders and inspired citizens.

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Some general storytelling tips: • Ensure you have enough time to see who someone is and what he/she does.

• Meet the person first without trying to document.

• Get the person to be able to show who they are (use staff only to the degree you need to in order to be able to tell the story). But, you can also focus on others around to inform the stories (allies/ people in a group they are connected with).

• Think about it like a discovery of wanting to know what the person likes and what they do.

• Gather information in advance to draw on before trying to document.

• Listening is the biggest thing, so you can respond appropriately to what is being said.

• Don’t go with a ‘list’ of questions in your hand, but have them already in mind. You have to ask your questions.

• Figure out what it is you want to know. But knowing what you are hoping for is a starting point, what you find might be different.

• Use your own strengths of how to share a story.

• Focus on the specific story, short and in depth is better than breadth.

• Make the person comfortable.

• Talk about what you hope to get from them. Share what you do and who you are. Make genuine conversation.

• Remember that sometimes it is easiest to follow someone around, being less formal.

• Ask questions that elicit responses beyond ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

• Seek out the most authentic voice. For people who cannot speak, this may be a family member etc…

• Try not to be overly sentimental.

• Let it be what it is.

• Remember that each individual story is a production.

• Remember that there is no one right way.

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THE POWER OF VISUAL STORIES

BY CARMEN NORRIS, MA DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA What power do stories hold and what can they do for society? What value do images bring to stories and what can visual storytelling do for a project interested in improving community engagement for people with developmental disabilities and challenging social perception of disability in our community?

These were some of the overarching research questions I was interested in exploring when I set out (and was warmly welcomed) to focus my Master of Arts research and thesis on Project Citizenship. After reviewing many of the video stories, interviewing key collaborators and examining survey responses provided by audience members who attended the opening night gala event at the Society of Northern Alberta Print-artists (SNAP) gallery in September 2012, I am delighted to share some of my findings concerning the power of visual stories.

You get to see it!

One of the first (and most apparent) benefits of visual stories I learned was, “you get to see it!” When I asked one filmmaker, Lorraine if she thought there was anything that film, as an audio-visual medium, might lend citizenship stories that another medium might not, and she chuckled as she emphatically said, “Yeah. You get to see it! (laughs) You totally get to see it. I mean film brings things to life. Yes you can interpret it… you could make an experimental film… but you really can get a good picture of somebody and their life through film. You can step into their world for a minute and see them looking pretty real (laughs).”

In the video, stories made for Project Citizenship audience members are not merely told the stories of people with disabilities acting as engaged citizens, we areshown. We see the movement of bodies in motion, we witness interactions between people and come to know these individuals through observing their activities.

Through sight and sound we are granted a glimpse into people’s otherwise private worlds.

More than showing, videos and films are also expressive media. While videos can and certainly do explain concepts, events, characters etc. I have found that the audio-visual medium of video allows citizenship stories more opportunity to express their meaning. For example, when I spoke with another filmmaker, Steven about Daniel’s Story, he explained how he tried to show Daniel’s connection to his friends and express his happiness rather than explain it to the audience.

Daniel - Drumming to his Own Beat video from Project Citizenship

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In this example the story’s meaning: Daniel’s capacity to participate in a drumming circle and the friendship he has developed with his peers, is expressed through eye contact, smiles, conversation and laughter. The human connection we perceive, while described in part by Daniel’s peers, is also expressed through a combination of audio and visual cues. In essence we are witnesses, or accomplices to Daniel’s experience and come to know the affinity he shares with others by what is expressed on screen. This expressed meaning is a major benefit of audio-visual media.

Beyond their expressive capacity, another major advantage of presenting citizenship stories as short videos is accessibility, a long-standing hot topic in disability studies. With the abundance of new technologies such as YouTube, Netflix, smart phones, Wi-Fi, 3G, social media sites etc… it is becoming increasingly easier to access visual media. YouTube alone demonstrates the popularity and pervasiveness of short films and video clips. With Internet connections spanning the globe there is unprecedented potential for one’s home movies to ‘go viral’ reaching millions of viewers plugged-in around the world.

This technology presents potential proliferation of material that was unthinkable in previous generations and this platform offers people with disabilities (and the people who support them) a new and powerful avenue for disseminating their stories. The people I spoke with for this study were keenly aware of the far-reaching potential of video storytelling. Senior Leader at Skills Society Ben Weinlick commented: “That’s one of the hoped for outcomes of the project… That the stories become shared. It would be great if the stories become viral, go around and people tells their friends things like, ‘Hey, did you see this inspiring video, check this out?’”

Similarly, Steven remarked: “I love how easy it is to share visuals online”.

Despite the excess of digital media technology, accessibility is still an issue for people with disabilities. Unfortunately, the Internet is not free and for some, particularly those who have limited income, live in group homes or rely on public supports and services, luxuries such as the Internet are easily considered an unnecessary expense.

“While videos can and certainly do explain concepts, events, characters etc. I have found that the audio-visual medium of video allows citizenship stories more opportunity to express their meaning.”

While access to technology is getting better, it is important to recognize that for many people there are still very real limitations: institutionalization and poverty being chief among them. Until these social constraints are sufficiently addressed, people with disabilities will continue to be disproportionately deprived of the tools, services and technologies that able-bodied citizens enjoy and often take for granted.

That said, creating citizenship stories in the format of short videos, Project Citizenship can take advantage of the benefits offered by the Internet by easily sharing stories of engaged citizenship with new and diverse audiences around the world. While there is room for improvement, the video format of citizenship stories offers a significant opportunity for people with disabilities to interact and engage with others like never before.

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Videos and pictures make stories more accessible Another finding I would like to highlight concerns literacy. To be blunt, presenting stories in an audio-visual medium is important for Project Citizenship because the majority of people SKILLS supports cannot read or write. In order to contribute to and have access to their stories, they need to be produced in a manner in which people with disabilities can easily partake. If citizenship stories were created in solely written form, many people could never read them, access them, or understand them.

When I asked Debbie Reid, Skills’ Senior Manager, why the project decided to use art and film as the most common medium to tell citizenship stories, she quickly identified literacy as a leading factor.

Carmen: “So why art? Why film? Why this medium?”

Debbie: “… because many people with disabilities can’t read and if we hold power over people by telling stories about their lives in written form, in ways they have no access to, it’s an entirely un-collaborative and often oppressive thing to do… It’s a universal language. It’s accessible to people who have really limited cognitive capacity.”

In essence, creating a written story would cut many people with disabilities off from the production (and consumption) of their own representation. In a project that seeks inclusion and collaboration, using a form that fundamentally excludes people with cognitive impairments is not only missing the point, it would only work to reinforce the oppressive power relations the project is tasked with dismantling.

To summarize, the expressive qualities, accessibility, and predominantly non-written form, make short videos excellent tools for creating and sharing the stories of engaged citizenship. Using short video, people with disabilities can collaborate and participate in the creation of their stories, access them once they are made and share their contributions with a larger, global audience. As audience members we are shown new possibilities of citizenship and gain access to the personal worlds of others through expressive means.

That’s what stories and images can do, they can help us imagine a more inclusive and accepting world with people with disabilities. Imagination is the first step on our journey to social change.

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“WE'RE ALL MADE OF STORIES. WHEN THEY FINALLY PUT US UNDERGROUND, THE STORIES ARE WHAT WILL GO ON. NOT FOREVER, PERHAPS, BUT FOR A TIME. IT'S A KIND OF IMMORTALITY, I SUPPOSE...”

-CHARLES DE LINT

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HOW TO DESIGN A STORY:

What’s the point? Know what you intend to convey both narratively and emotionally.

Be Authentic: Stories are more powerful when they include a little bit of you. Honest expression is stronger and more resonant than cliché.

Character-Driven: Characters generate empathy and interest from your audience. Focus on character.

Details: “Behind all behaviour lies emotion.” What details can you share about your character and their situation that will suggest the emotions that lie beneath?

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ASSUME A BEGINNER’S MINDSET:

Don’t judge. Just observe and engage people without the influence of value judgments upon their actions, circumstances, decisions, or “issues.”

Question everything. Question even (and especially) the things you think you already understand. Ask questions to learn about how the individual perceives the world. Think about how a 4-year-old asks “Why?” about everything. Follow up an answer to one “why” with a second “why.”

Be truly curious. Strive to assume a posture of wonder and curiosity, especially in circumstances that seem either familiar or uncomfortable.

Find patterns. Look for interesting threads and themes that emerge across interactions with people.

Listen. Really. Lose your agenda and let the scene soak into your psyche. Absorb what people say to you, and how they say it, without thinking about the next thing you’re going to say.

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OBSERVE AND EMPATHIZE:

Watching what people do and how they interact with their environment gives you clues about what they think and feel. It also helps you to learn about what they need. By watching people you can capture physical manifestations of their experiences, what they do and say.

The stories that people tell and the things that people say they do, even if they are different from what they actually do, are strong indicators of their deeply held beliefs about the way the world is.

EMBRACE EXPERIMENTATION:

Especially in the age of digital cameras, there’s no such thing as a mistake when taking photos or video. The more different photos you take, the more amazing ones you’ll end up with!

EMBRACE COLLABORATION:

Bring together innovators with varied backgrounds and viewpoints.

Enable breakthrough insights and solutions to emerge from the diversity.

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SHOW, DON’T TELL:

Consider the following two sentences: Telling: John was very angry.

Showing: John’s fists clenched, his eyes narrowed, and his face turned red In the first sentence, I am telling you how John felt. In the second sentence, I am simply showing you John’s body language, allowing you to imagine the scene more vividly, and to arrive at your own conclusions about John’s mood and mental state.

When you show rather than tell, you empower your audience and your subject. This is a important skill to remember when writing, but it also helps you to construct better stories in all media, including photo and video!

Here’s another example: Telling: Molly is a wonderful person.

Showing: Molly is always there when anyone needs her. She's the first to arrive with a chicken soup when someone is sick, the first to send a note of encouragement to those who are troubled, the first to offer a hug to anyone -- man, woman or child -- at any time.

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“WE OWE IT TO EACH OTHER TO TELL STORIES.” -NEIL GAIMAN

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BRAINSTORMING Brainstorming is a great way to come up with a lot of ideas that you would not be able to generate by just sitting down with a pen and paper. The intention of brainstorming is to leverage the collective thinking of the group, by engaging with each other, listening, and building on other ideas. Conducting a brainstorm also creates a distinct segment of time when you intentionally turn up the generative part of your brain and turn down the evaluative part.

HOW TO BRAINSTORM:

Be intentional about setting aside a period of time when your team will be in “brainstorm mode” – when the sole goal is to come up with as many ideas as possible, and when judgment of those ideas will not come into the discussion. Invest energy into a short period of time, such as 15 or 30 minutes of high engagement. Get in front of a whiteboard or around a table, but take an active posture of standing or sitting upright. Get close together.

Write down clearly what you are brainstorming.

There are at least two ways to capture the ideas of a brainstorming: 1. Scribe: the scribe legibly and visually captures on the board ideas that team members call out. It is very important to capture every idea, regardless of your own feelings about each idea.

2. All-in: Each person will write down each of his or her ideas as they come, and verbally share it with the group. It is great to do this with post-it notes, so you can write your idea and then stick it on the board.

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“AFTER NOURISHMENT, SHELTER AND COMPANIONSHIP, STORIES ARE THE THING WE NEED MOST IN THE WORLD.” -PHILIP PULLMAN

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“I HAVE MY OWN STORY, AND I LOVE MY STORY, BUT I KNOW I CAN'T TELL IT ALONE, NOT NOW. BECAUSE STORIES HAVE CENTERS, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE EDGES. NO BOUNDARIES.” -ANDREW CLEMENTS

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INTERVIEWING We want to understand a person’s thoughts, emotions, and motivations, so that we can determine how to innovate for him or her. By understanding the choices that person makes and the behaviours that person engages in, we can identify their needs and design for those needs.

While we must always allow room for the spontaneous, blissful serendipity of a user-guided conversation, we should never abdicate our responsibility to prepare for interviews.

ASKING QUESTIONS:

Ask plenty of “why?” questions, plenty of “tell me about the last time you _____?” questions, and plenty of questions that are directed at how the individual FEELS. Even when you think you know the answer, ask people why they do or say things. The answers will sometimes surprise you. A conversation started from one question should go on as long as it needs to. Never say “usually” when asking a question.

Instead, ask about a specific instance or occurrence, such as “tell me about the last time you ______” Encourage stories. Whether or not the stories people tell are true, they reveal how they think about the world. Ask questions that get people telling stories.

Don’t suggest answers to your questions. Even if they pause before answering, don’t help them by suggesting an answer. This can unintentionally get people to say things that agree with your expectations. Ask questions neutrally. “What do you think about buying gifts for your spouse?” is a better question than “Don’t you think shopping is great?” because the first question doesn’t imply that there is a right answer. Don’t ask binary questions. Binary questions can be answered in a word; you want to host a conversation built upon stories.

Keep questions short. Only ask one question at a time, one person at a time. Resist the urge to ambush your interviewee.

See the Appendices at the end of this guide for some sample interview questions.

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SILENCE AND NONVERBAL CUES:

Look for inconsistencies. Sometimes what people say and what they do are different. These inconsistencies often hide interesting insights.

Pay attention to nonverbal cues like body language and emotions.

Don’t be afraid of silence. Interviewers often feel the need to ask another question when there is a pause. If you allow for silence, a person can reflect on what they’ve just said and may reveal something deeper.

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“STORIES CAN CONQUER FEAR, YOU KNOW. THEY CAN MAKE THE HEART BIGGER.” -BEN OKRI

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ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS The following tips are intended for amateurs shooting with any kind of camera, such as a DSLR, a basic pointand-shoot, or even just a cell phone camera. Many of these tips are also useful when shooting video.

GET TO KNOW YOUR CAMERA:

Whether you are using a professional camera, a simple point-andshoot digital camera, or even the camera on your cell phone, it is important to spend some time playing around with your camera so you get a feel for how it works.

Anticipate shutter lag (the delay between the moment you press the button, and the moment the photo is taken). Get used to your camera’s timing so when something interesting happens, you’ll have a good feel for the point when you need to press the shutter release to capture the most interesting moment.

CLEAN YOUR LENS:

Keep your camera lens clean by wiping it with a clean, dry cloth. A dirty lens will give you sub-par photos. This is especially important when shooting with a cell phone camera, as these get handled much more frequently.

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CHARGE YOUR BATTERIES:

Always make sure that your camera/phone battery is well charged (or that you bring spare batteries for your camera).

DE-CLUTTER:

Get rid of distracting backgrounds and clutter. Move positions to avoid trees looking like they are growing out of people's heads.

Change angles to avoid window glares from across the street. Ask your subjects to put down all the junk they may be carrying around with them and to remove backpacks or hip packs as well. Keep that mess well out of the frame of the picture, and you will end up with much nicer, less cluttered photos.

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SUBJECT TO THE SIDE:

If the setting is an integral part of the story, position your subject to the side of the photo.

RULE OF THIRDS:

The Rule of Thirds is where the primary points of interest in your photo sits along "third" lines. Try not to let any horizon or other lines "cut the picture in half�. Using the Rule of Thirds often yields much more attractive photographs than simply placing your subject in the middle of the photo.

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FRAMING:

If the background of your photo is unimportant, fill the frame with your subject. You'll see how much better your photo will look without so much wasted space. The closer you are to the subject, the better you can see their facial expressions too.

Leaving things out can leave a lot to the imagination of the viewer of an image. Sometimes what is left out of an image says more than what is included.

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TRY AN INTERESTING ANGLE:

Instead of shooting the object straight on, try looking down to the object, or crouching and looking up.

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LIGHTING:

Avoid direct sunlight. Your subjects will be cooler, happier, and more attractively lit if they don’t have a sunbeam hitting them in the face. If it’s an overcast day, you’re in luck. This is one of the best outdoor lighting situations for photographing people. If it’s a sunny day, have your subjects stand in the brightest patch of shade you can find.

Dusk and dawn (“the golden hours”) are the most ideal times to take photos outdoors. Play around with the angle of the lighting in your photo, paying attention to where the shadows fall.

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SHOULD I USE FLASH?

It’s almost always better to use other light sources than flash, which can be harsh and unflattering (especially when using a cell phone camera). Do your best to position your subject in a way that the natural light or the interior lighting of a space illuminates them well.

If you think you might need to use flash, try taking the photo both with and without flash to see what works better. If there is a reflective surface (like a window) in your photo, flash may not be a good idea.

Sometimes, flash can actually be helpful even when the photo seems to have a lot of light in it. Perhaps the sun is creating strong shadows on your subject’s face. Turning on flash can eliminate this.

Be aware of the range of your flash. Quite often, people turn on flash when taking photos of objects or people that are much further away. If the subject of your photo is further than the flash can reach, it will not do any good to have your flash on. Move closer, or use a different source of light.

CROP, DON’T ZOOM:

Many smartphone cameras and point-and-shoot cameras offer a digital zoom function, but you're almost always best served by pretending it doesn't exist. As soon as you begin to zoom, you are asking the camera to make guesses about missing information, and your photo quality will deteriorate.

When you're cropping, however, you're actually just sampling pixel info that was actually recorded. That means you can crop substantially and still have plenty of resolution left to make a great photo 31

PLAY WITH EYE CONTACT:

It is amazing how much the direction of your subject’s eyes can impact an image. Most portraits have the subject looking at the lens, and this can create a real sense of connection between a subject and audience. But there are a couple of other things to try: 1. Looking off camera – have your subject focus their attention on something unseen and outside the field of view of your camera. This can create a feeling of candidness and also create a little intrigue and interest as the viewer of the shot wonders what they are looking at.

This intrigue is particularly drawn about when the subject is showing some kind of emotion (ie ‘what’s making them laugh?’ or ‘what is making them look surprised?’). Just be aware that when you have a subject looking out of frame that you can also draw the eye of the viewer of the shot to the edge of the image also – taking them away from the point of interest in your shot – the subject.

2. Looking within the frame – alternatively you could have your subject looking at something (or someone) within the frame. A child looking at a ball, a woman looking at her new baby, a man looking hungrily at a big plate of pasta…. When you give your subject something to look at that is inside the frame you create a second point of interest and a relationship between it and your primary subject. It also helps create ‘story’ within the image.

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SHOOT CANDIDLY:

Sometimes posed shots can look somewhat‌. posed. Some people don’t look good in a posed environment and so switching to a candid type approach can work. Photograph your subject at work, with family or doing something that they love. This will put them more at ease and you can end up getting some special shots with them reacting naturally to the situation that they are in.

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FOCUS:

Poor focusing is one of the most common ways that photographs are ruined. Use the automatic focus of your camera, if you have it; usually, this is done by half-pressing the shutter button (or, on iPhone, tap the subject on your phone screen before taking the photo. This will also tell the camera what exposure to use, AKA how bright to make the photo). Use the "macro" mode of your camera for close-up shots.

AVOID BLURRY PHOTOS:

Hold still. If you're using a full-sized camera, hold the camera body (finger on the shutter button) with one hand, and steady the lens by cupping your other hand under it. In any case, keep your elbows close to your body, and use this position to brace yourself firmly. You can also consider using a tripod, or setting your camera on a solid object like a table to keep it steady while taking the photo.

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EDIT, DON’T FILTER:

Doing some simple editing after you have taken your photos is far preferable to using “filters” such as those in Instagram. Basic photo editing applications (for your computer or mobile phone) like SnapSeed, Photoshop Express, or iPhoto let you make reasonable adjustments, like exposure, contrast, sharpness, and colour temperature. If you aren’t sure what these various controls will change, spend some time playing around with them.

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BREAK THE RULES:

Now that you know some of the rules, go ahead and break them!

Experiment! Have fun! Learn from your mistakes!

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PRINTING YOUR PHOTOS:

Many places (like Shoppers Drug Mart and London Drugs) now have inexpensive easy-to-use self-serve photo printing services in-store.

You can simply bring in your images on a USB stick, insert into one of the self-serve photo kiosks, select the size of photos that you want, and have them printed immediately or same-day.

There are also ways to create and print attractive photo-books. If you have iPhoto, you can select the images you want to use, and go to File -> New Book to create a photo book which you can then customize and order. Alternately, Staples allows you to create photo books on their website which they will then print for you.

Artisan State now offers attractive photo books (pictured above) for as little as $20 (+$5 shipping). Visit the QR code below for more information,

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“STORIES ARE LIKE CHILDREN. THEY GROW IN THEIR OWN WAY.” -MADELEINE L'ENGLE

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VIDEO Video is a powerful medium for communicating ideas, insights & stories. Planning ahead, but staying open to possibility will give you the best chance of stumbling on a magical moment. Know what you are trying to do and be aggressive about communicating it in the frame. If it’s not in the frame, it doesn’t exist.

Many of the tips and ideas discussed in the previous chapter on photography also apply to video.

You don’t need expensive equipment to use video effectively. With a bit of thought and care, you can use the videocamera on your cell phone to create a compelling video story.

BASIC TIPS:

1. When shooting outdoors, keep the sun behind you.

2. Plan your shoot.

3. Use a tripod or other image stabilization device.

4. If you must zoom in, use zoom only to compose your shot (that is, before you start recording). Avoid zooming while the tape is rolling.

Move the camcorder only when necessary. Too much zooming, shaking, and/or moving around will make your audience dizzy. When you need to make any camera movements, make sure they are slow and controlled.

6.While shooting, be as inconspicuous as possible to best capture the true behaviour of your subject.

7. Frame your shots well. Fill the frame with your subject, and don't be afraid to place him or her slightly off-center. The Rule of Thirds applies to video as well as photography.  Use more close-ups and medium shots than wide shots so that your audience can see the subject’s facial expressions and body language 8. Shoot from several different vantage points and angles.

9. Avoid backlighting. Just because we can see people's faces when they're backlit doesn't mean the camera can.

10. Unless you plan on editing, record only the important moments.

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“THERE IS NO GREATER AGONY THAN BEARING AN UNTOLD STORY INSIDE YOU.” -MAYA ANGELOU

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STORY SAMPLES The following pages hold examples of contemporary visual storytelling projects from Project Citizenship as well as other sources.

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"I KNEW YOU’D STOP ME ONE DAY."

WWW.HUMANSOFNEWYORK.COM

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"I FOUND HIM IN THE TRASH. I NAMED HIM SHADOW BECAUSE HE FOLLOWED ME EVERYWHERE."

WWW.HUMANSOFNEWYORK.COM

"WE’RE GOING TO GET INSIDE THIS TIRE AND ROLL DOWN THE HILL!" "NO YOU’RE NOT." "YES WE ARE!" "NO YOU’RE NOT."

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Photographer Trent Bell took photographs of inmates from Maine State Prison, in Warren.

He then had them write a letter to their younger selves, which he superimposed upon their photographs.

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“WE'RE ALL STORIES, IN THE END.” -STEVEN MOFFAT

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APPENDICES The following pages contain exercises and worksheets that can be used to help you in your storytelling process: -Life Map Exercise; -Story Plot Flow Map (to organize a story’s structure); -Citizen Speak Question Sheet; -Citizen Action Lab Discovery Sheet (to learn about an individual and find a story); -Visual Storytelling Plan; -Video/Photo/Personal Story Authorization Form; -Sample Interview Questions.

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Citizen Speak Supporting the stories of engaged citizenship of people with disabilities

If you have a pic to add to your citizen speak send it to ben@skillssociety.ca

What does engaged citizenship mean to you?

! !

!! !! !

How do you help out in your neighbourhood and community as a citizen?

(It would be awesome if you

could send us a picture of the cool ways you or your family helps out- send to ben@skillssociety.ca)

! ! ! ! ! ! !

Is there a citizen you admire for something they’ve done? Could you share a little story about that?

Permission to share your citizen speak

If you are comfortable with Project Citizenship and SKILLS Society sharing your inspiring citizen speak thoughts and pictures on engaged citizenship, please sign and date below. It will be posted on the Citizen Speak section of the Project Citizenship site www.projectcitizenship.com . Only first names will be used on the site.

!

Name:_________________________ !

Date:_______________________

Signature______________________ Email:______________________

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to come up with ideas for cool roles, citizenship experiences

and community connections we need to know a bit about this person and their unique gifts and interests. Make a list below that summarizes what they like, what they have shown interest in or are curious about. Here are some ideas to get you started: list specific details; e.g. instead of simply saying “likes music”, write “Sophia likes classical music”. ask and explore questions; e.g. What kinds of things does this person gravitate towards when they are out in the community?

Where would this person want to spend their days? What do they love to do? What do you notice that they spend time and energy on at home? What are they naturally really good at? What are this person’s gifts that often people don’t notice?

a think tank experience that explores creative ways to support engaged citizenship

work-sheet Use this space to tell a story, draw a picture or attach an item that shows what engaged citizenship means to you.

Fill this out before coming to an Action Lab experience!

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Sample Interview Questions When starting to explore a potential citizenship story, you can use the Citizen Speak Question Sheet; the Citizen Action Lab Discovery Sheet (to learn about an individual and find a story), and the Visual Storytelling Plan as guides to help you. Below are some additional sample interview questions that might be useful as well. However, every person is different, every story is different, so not all the questions on this list will be applicable to every story, and there is an infinite number of other questions that will be useful that are not on this sheet. When going into an interview, remember to look over the Interview chapter of this guide for tips and ideas on how to interview more effectively.

Tell me about yourself: Who are you?

What are you passionate about?

What are you really proud of?

What do you get excited about?

What inspires/motivates you?

If you could do anything, what would it be?

Citizenship Story Questions: What does citizenship mean to you?

What do you do to make your community a meter place?

If you were to give one piece of advice to people on how to be a good citizen, what would you say?

What are things you see in your community that you want to make better?

What is your citizenship story?

Questions to ask when at a place like the individual’s home or place of work/volunteering: Why don’t you show me around?

Can you show me what you do here?

Can you introduce me to some of the other people you know here?

Can you show me some of your favourite belongings and tell me the story behind them?

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