Facilitator Guide This guide has been provided to help guide your facilitation. You do not need to follow the provided script word-for-word. You are welcome to use this guide as a supportive supplement. Set up One-week prior (approximately) - Book conference room with round table and chairs Prior to event (approximately 15-20 minutes before event) - Prepare a refreshment table with coffee/tea/juice as well as some treats (i.e. cookies, muffins, etc.) - Offer pens and highlighters in two colours for activities Invite any early participants to take a seat by the table and feel free to serve themselves at the refreshments table. PAGE 1 Introduction Welcome and thank you for joining us today. Provide each participant with a workshop booklet, a pen and two highlighters (in different colours). To begin, read the first page paragraph (staring with “Stories are everywhere.”) My name is [first name] and I am involved with Neighbour to Neighbour Centre as a [position (e.g. staff member, volunteer, etc.]. I will be facilitating this workshop with you today. To begin, let us go around in a circle and introduce our names and share about what attracted you to this storytelling workshop. Our Stories Matter Connelly and Clandinin shares that… Read the yellow-boxed quote by Connelly and Clandinin (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990).
PAGE 2 Thanks to Neighbour to Neighbour Centre for holding this workshop. Read the provided description in the box about Neighbour to Neighbour Centre. Purpose of the Workshop Neighbour to Neighbour Centre is hoping to discover and understand it’s community narrative through our individual stories and personal stories. Today’s workshop will help us explore our individual experiences and capture personal stories of impact. I would to highlight that your story may be able to… Read points in box. Letter of Information/Consent Purpose: I have provided everyone with a letter of information and consent. It outlines and provides a sense of what will take place during this session. This workshop is part of a pilot study – meaning that this is the first workshop and I would like to know how you find it and how it could be improved. Continual Consent: To start, I ask you to fill out the last page. I would like to take the opportunity to remind you that you do not need to participate in any of the activities if you would not like to or do not feel comfortable. I hope to make this a safe space for everyone to reflect, explore and share. We might remember some experiences that upset us or memories that ask us to be strong. So let us be sensitive and supportive to each other. What are some ways we can share show some positive energy with each other? PAGE 3 Agenda For today’s workshop, we will look at some the background on narrative to start where we see the difference between stories and narrative and look into narrative theory. The reminder of the workshop will take place in three section. The first will focus on the ‘story of self’, where we explore our personal stories (Ganz 2015). Next, we will take a brief coffee/tea break. Then, we will look into the “story of us”, followed by the “story of now” (Ganz
2015). Before we end off, we will get your feedback and that will conclude our workshop. PAGE 4 Narratives We would like to look at narratives because… Read definition provided in booklet. Reference can be made to the original researched definition from Rapport: Narrative approach – a way to understanding cognition, personality development, culture and community as a way to understand the human experience, memory and personal identity from the perspective of a person in a social context (Rappaport, 1993) PAGE 5 Narrative can be found in a number of places. Read descriptions on page. PAGE 6 Story of Self Read descriptions on page and quote by Arthur Frank (Frank, 2013). If necessary, explain the quote: Arthur Frank shares that a self’s medium can be various forms in which you may see yourself living there (Frank, 2013). This could be a painting, a movie, an artwork or written piece. PAGE 7 Goals Before me begin writing, let us consider what are you interested in exploring through storytelling and narrative. Is it because you would like to … Read options provided. As we continue to think about what we would like to gain from this experience, let us also consider who you hope your stories will reach. Is your primary audience for yourself? Would it be the people in your life – family and friends? Or the general public.
Allow participants to share. PAGE 8 Background Take a minute to identify where home was for you and introduce yourself to someone by sharing about where home was for you and how you found your way to Hamilton. PAGE 9 A Place I Left Behind Once you had a chance to share, I would like you to… Read the description provided. This practice is known as expressive writing, where you say what comes to mind. There is no right or wrong. Take approximately 3-5 minutes to finish the prompting sentence: ”I was ready to go…” Read
tips. Encourage participants to keep their hand moving. Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation or grammar. There is no need to analyze what you are thinking and writing right now. Remember to come up with a title.
PAGE 10 Mapping Your Journey In this activity, we would like to start by creating an outline of your story. You can use this space as you like to highlight milestones, special memories or significant moments. It can be linear, circular or anything else you would like. You may want to focus on one instance or your life journey. The choice is yours. Read description and allow them to map their life. (Approximately 7 minutes) PAGE 11 Read description.
We may hold a number of emotions and values. At certain points, we may hold one more than others. Identify the primary one and add those to your map. PAGE 12 Identity-Defining Events Identity-defining events are moments that form and shape our identity and make us unique. Read description. If something else comes to mind and is not mentioned, feel to add your ideas to the list. PAGE 13 Challenges Read description. Once you had a chance to identify some of your challenges, take one (or more than one) that speaks to you. Read description. Take 3-5 minutes to finish the prompting sentence: “I had a hard time….” Let us take a coffee break for 5 – 10 minutes before we move to the next two sections. We will begin at [time]. PAGE 14 Story of Us Read descriptions on page and quote by Paul Ricoeur. PAGE 15 & 16 Read descriptions You are welcome to select more than one and they do not all have to be on one page. Identify the colour that you choose to represent your first visit and another for your current visits.
PAGE 17 How Am I Connected? Read questions If something else comes to mind and is not mentioned, feel to add your ideas to the list. PAGE 18 One Word Read question and description. PAGE 19 Story of “Now” Read descriptions on page and quote by Robert Fulford. PAGE 20 Human Needs Inventory We have a range of feelings/emotions and values that we explored previously. Now we want to focus on our needs, which can also be known as feelings and emotions as well. Read description. PAGE 21 Human Needs Read description. You may also want to use any other activity that prompted you to think more. Search for your starting point and go from there. PAGE 21 Sharing Stories
We reached a time to share our stories. It may be difficult and scary to share because you sharing your moments of vulnerability and showing our lack of control, but it also allows you to explore new perspectives and find some comfort. Oftentimes traumatic events can often be forgotten because it doesn’t fit out stories. rather than endure it, it is shifted to language and a world of symbols (Hermann, 2015). Before we begin, I want us to consider some questions when hearing and sharing stories. Read questions provided. Thank you for sharing! As the authors and creators of these pieces, I want you to think about if you would like to share these stories with Neighbour to Neighbour Centre to share. If you would like to allow Neighbour to Neighbour Centre to share these pieces, I have prepared a consent form indicating that you would permit them to showcase your stories. Gratitude Before we go, I want to interest you in one more activity. Read description. Feedback Forms I hope you were able to take away something from the workshop. If you are able to share some of your thoughts for the workshop, please include them in your feedback forms. You are welcome to discuss about them as well. PAGE 22 Thank you Read description.
References Frank, A. W. (2013). The wounded storyteller: Body, illness, and ethics. University of Chicago Press Ganz, Marshall. Public Narrative: self & us & now. 2015. Management, Leadership and Decision Sciences, Cambridge, MA. PDF file. Rappaport, J. (1993). Narrative studies, personal stories, and identity transformation in the mutual help context. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 29(2), 239 256. Consulted About Neighbour to Neighbour Centre. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2015, from http://www.n2ncentre.com/about/ Blume, L. (2010). Writing Jewish Family Stories and Memoirs [Pamphlet]. Los Angeles, California: Lil Blume. Chabon, M. (2011). Maps and legends: Reading and writing along the borderlands. Open Road Media. Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (1990). Stories of experience and narrative inquiry. Educational researcher, 19(5), 2-14. Feelings Inventory [PDF]. (n.d.). Albuquerque: Centre for Nonviolent Communication. Fulford, R. (1999). The triumph of narrative: Storytelling in the age of mass culture. House of Anansi. Hermann, N. (2015, June 8). Creativity. Lecture presented at Narrative Medicine in New York, New York City. Irvine, C. (2015, June 9). Narrative Ethics. Lecture presented at Narrative Ethics in New York, New York City. Nin, A. (2012). The Diary of Anais Nin Volume 6 1955-1966: Vol. 6 (19551966). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Rappaport, J. (1995). Empowerment meets narrative: Listening to stories and creating settings. American Journal of community psychology, 23(5),
795-807. Ricoeur, P. (1986). Life: A story in search of a narrator