Our Story
Creative Narrations was founded in 2001. It was built upon our experiences as adult educators, community organizers, public health advocates and researchers. Our process of understanding the power of stories to create meaningful change developed from wanting to hear people’s stories, to wanting to see and document their stories, to wanting to teach people how to document their stories themselves.
We based Creative Narrations and our approach to social change on the premise that storytelling is in and of itself a democratic action. We see equal access to telling our own stories as an essential part of democracy. We believe that citizens publicly telling their stories, in their own voices, is a form of civic participation. We take our own small story, we connect it to others. At Creative Narrations, we want to make sure it’s clear that it’s the stories that are central to building power and affecting change. Making it digital is just another way of doing this publicly.
We’re seeing stories as tools within communities, to reflect, to measure change, to engage residents in civic action. We’re seeing stories as objects for discussion and dialogue across communities – a way to connect disparate groups and build peace. We’re seeing stories influence new policies, which, of course will lead to new stories. These stories are becoming public, creating connections, and sustaining momentum.
Our Values
- Capacity Building: You are the experts in your own stories. At Creative Narrations, we focus on your organization developing the skills and resources that you need to continue recording, producing and distributing your own multi-media stories. All of our workshops are hands-on and provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning.
- Accessibility: Our trainings are tailored to meet your needs and context. We train you on equipment you already have whenever possible, and help you identify resources that match your time, budget, context and goals.
- Stories for change: We strategize with you to discover innovative ways your stories can be used to promote meaningful change. Whether it is multimedia for self-expression about an issue, for advocacy with decision makers or creating home-grown media for local community outreach, we can support you.