Capturing and Sharing
A Pilot Narrative Workshop in Collaborative Partnership with Neighbour to Neighbour Centre
IMPACT STORIES
’ Crystal Chan , Sarah Glen , Krista DAoust student-researcher1
“
Humans are storytelling organisms who, individually and collectively, lead storied lives. Thus, the study of narrative is the study of the ways humans experience the world1.
”
academic supervisor2
1Honours
Bachelor of Life Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 2Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 3Neighbour to Neighbour Centre, Hamilton Ontario, Canada
Thank you to Jennifer Landicho for her administrative assistance in making this project possible; Lil Blume for sharing her expertise and advice on preparing and facilitating workshops; members of Neighbour to Neighbour Centre for their assistance and support; and fellow undergraduate student-researchers for offering help and encouragement throughout the process.
background
Neighbour to Neighbour Centre Neighbour to Neighbour Centre establishes its own narrative as a non-profit, charitable organization with the mission of alleviating and preventing poverty in the Hamilton community2. For over 30 years, the organization has supported un(der)employed residents through food access programs, family and educational services and other community partnerships2.
aims 1 objectives 2 researchmethod
• to highlight the impact that Neighbour to Neighbour Centre has on the Hamilton community
Narrative
to explore values, beliefs, feelings, and perspectives
Inquiry
to find out and gather information
• to understand how to better support the storytelling process for community members • to engage participants with an experience of creating and sharing their story
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Explore and pilot best practices of narrative inquiry Capture and share ‘impact stories’ of clients to highlight the centre’s impact IDENTIFY A RESEARCH PROBLEM
Aims and objectives co-identified with all academic and community partners
Stories and narratives told by individuals and communities translate values into moral or emotional resources that can be accessed in response to challenges of uncertainty.
Narrative Inquiry is the interdisciplinary study of the activities involved in generating and analyzing stories of life experiences and reporting that research3,4 - literary form of qualitative research - learning from participants and their stories - focus on the experience of a few participants - emphasis on relationship and collaboration
? Research question co-designed with all academic and community partners
REVIEW THE LITERATURE
2
2
DETERMINE METHODOLOGY
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3 Literature reviews evaluated best approaches of narrative inquiry and practice
Storytelling workshop designed to highlight centre’s impact through individual stories and collective narratives
feelings at thecentre
Identify identity-defining events: I knew I was me when … I had to find courage when…
Number of Feelings
Mapping of your journey: Outline and order major events. What are some challenges you have faced in your past?
Short Responses: - What brought you to Neighbour to Neighbour Centre? - How did you feel when you came to the organization and/or programs?
What are some example impact stories from clients who use services from the Neighbour to Neighbour Centre? ANALYZE AND INTERPRET DATA
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5 Storytelling Workshop piloted to capture and share “impact stories”
Mixed-method analysis identified and coded themes and trends
Follow-up focus group/ interview/questionnaire evaluated workshop and received feedback
Finding and outcomes may inform future narrative or storytelling opportunities
Neighbour to Neighbour Centre has been able to been able to help those who visit to feel more satisfied.
One word to describe Neighbour to Neighbour Centre Describe the emotional weather of your life: Sunny Drought Breezy Clear Flurry Rainy Blizzard Windy Foggy Cloudy
- Story of self: why you were called to what you have been called to? - Story of us: what called to your shared purposes, goals, visions? - Story of now: what are the current challenges, the choices that must be made, and the hope that can be aspired?
COLLECT DATA
5,6
The interactive training workshop provides a variety of tools (e.g. prompts and questions) to support the storytelling processes. Two community members present.
Public Narrative is an exploratory practice that engages the “head” and the “heart” to inspire choice-making, identity construction and action7
Research Questions
How can "impact stories" of the clients who access the services at the Neighbour to Neighbour Centre be effectively captured and shared to support the client and the organization? DEVELOP RESEARCH QUESTIONS
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workshop storytelling tools
community sponsor3
Curious Amazed A!ious Delighted Nervous Depre"ed Eager Panicked FIRST VISIT Lost Intrigued Pleased Worn Out Lost Interested
Thankful Stre"ed Out Compa"ionate Helple" Comfo#able CURRENT VISIT Griф Open Pleased Relieved Safe Rel$ed
IMPACT STORIES What brought you to Neighbour to Neighbour Centre?
Captured and Shared HELPFUL
“The use of the food bank; which I, then, started getting involved in some of the programs that they had to offer. I wouldn't have known
“I chose helpful because without them I wouldn't be able to get the extra staples that I
about these programs if I didn't come in to use the food bank.”
need for the month even though its limited but I'm still grateful plus the extra programs that they have to offer. For example, budgeting programs, help to lowering my hydro bill,
Personal encounters
to women’s space every week and cooking classes.”
“the staff and volunteers…they are all great…because they listened, supported, respected, were non-judgemental, gave what I was looking for, and showed kindness.”
HOPEFUL “My first visit was hopeful because that’s how I feel. Neighbour to Neighbour [is] very kind and
“yes, the one that is [holding the] storytelling [workshop] because she’s kind and help me want to ‘share my story’. I liked that she listened, supported, respected, and guided me.” Through the telling of personal stories, participants found their experiences to be shared experiences, in the same manner where personal stories become community narratives.
[gives] me hope to meet other people and to help me with stuff that I never [knew] that was out there.”
Challenges in Context
BAD RELATIONSHIPS
EMPLOYMENT
DEPRESSION
Behaviours
Community Resilience
HESITANCY
POSITIVE THOUGHTS
“I’m not really that good with maps.”
…. And keep moving forward. It’s never too late.“
HOPE TO INSPIRE
“…my little zone, my imaginary spot … my own world, my own
“I had to move on after a bad marriage. That’s what my
“[sobs] Mine is dealing with grief and I
“Yeah, ‘cause I know some stores
story is mainly about. Like, that’s why I wrote down, I
lost my dad nine year ago – died of brain
now when I applied for a job, they
wouldn’t have the three kids I have right now if it weren’t for
cancer. I had no goodbye and that took
told me to not give them the
that. I brought my ex here into Canada. I sponsored him
me into a dark place of depression.
resumes. They want me to email it.
“My hope is to inspire the general
with my family and friends altogether in one place. With music and
here.
A year after he got his citizenship, he asked for a
That’s how it brings me into feeling alone
Yeah, email resumes?! I’ve never
public because when I share with
dancing …everybody getting to know each other. Just happy.
divorce. So it’s like, now when I look back, I’m, like thinking,
and depressed, there’s a lot of things I
done that before. Like where does it
family and friends, they already know it,
Watching everyone laugh and get along and watching friends make
[it’s] probably why he didn’t want to buy a house when we
can share …. my grief of my dad brings
go to, an email? Like does it get
so that would be my inspiration to
new friends There’s nobody thinking bad thoughts - only good
were married. That’s why he didn’t want to own his truck
me back. He was always there for me
read or does it get tossed. Yeah, you
share it with other people that don’t
thoughts. Good and happy thoughts. Everyone from the kids to the
because he already had it planned out. That’s why I said if I
and my children. The hurt of not saying
don’t like, know if it gets trashed.”
know me. Maybe they’ve gone through
elderly will be there having a good time. And then watch everyone
had known then what I know now, I probably wouldn’t have
goodbye always stays. And if I could
the same thing, maybe they haven’t.
leave with good feelings and thoughts. No hate, but only with love.
chosen down that path that I had gone through.”
change things I would…”
Maybe they can relate, you know?
Where, you know, I, like, just, put myself in my own little world.”
follow-upsession
Next Steps Follow-up sessions - increase breaks/hand-exercises - multiple sessions instead of one-day event
most important
Social support system
Sharing stories “…knowing that there are people who would actually want to hear your stories and want to understand them”
- exploring and sharing deeply personal matter can benefit from a supportive group/network
Mapping your journey “the ideas from my mapping helped me”
Participatory storytelling - consider using various mediums and forms to analyzing and recognize themes of personal stories and community narratives - participants to contribute and take part in improving current programs and services
imagination and image that everybody’s having one big party, like,
Following the workshop, participants reflected, evaluated and shared feedback on the workshop tools and experience.
easiest tools
Writing the story “I liked the written part to tell my story because it explains it a lot more than pictures do” Sharing what attracted you to this workshop
hardest tools Challenges due to emotional difficulty “the challenges I went through it was hard to choose but did it” Difficulty of self-reflection “Story of Self because it’s harder to explain how we feel about ourselves…no one really likes hearing a person who talks about themselves all the time. It always gets discouraged.”
references 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Connelly FM, Clandinin DJ. Stories of experience and narrative inquiry. Educational researcher. 1990 Jun 1;19(5):2-14. About Neighbour to Neighbour Centre [Internet]. N2N Centre. 2016 [cited 24 October 2015]. Available from: http://www.n2ncentre.com/about/ Schwandt TA. The Sage dictionary of qualitative inquiry. Sage Publications; 2015 Jan 2. Rappaport J. Empowerment meets narrative: Listening to stories and creating settings. American Journal of Community Psychology. 1995;23(5):795-807. Kurtz C. Working with stories in your community or organization. Los Angeles: Kurtz-Fernhout Publishing; 2014. Blume L. Writing Jewish Family Stories and Memoirs: A Workshop [Internet]. 1st ed. Los Angeles: Lil Blume; 2010 [cited 18 March 2016]. Available from: http://www.lilblume.ca Ganz, Marshall. MLD-355M: Public Narrative: Self, Us, Now. 2015. John F. Kennedy School of Government. Cambridge, MA. PDF file.
suggestions More exploration as a group “story of now because of how we learned about our need, how we feel” More workshops / sessions “More workshops, more workshops like hers” More breaks Hand exercises
focus for facilitator Storytelling tools for inspiration - drawing out personal challenges - explore identity-defining events - focus on the experience of a few participants - emphasis on relationship and collaboration Space for sharing - create safe and welcoming space for expression - foster an authentic and supportive environment Identity-defining events - resonated well with participants and generated more conversation - each provided point holds potential to capture unexplored stories