Storytelling for Social Good: Delivering Creative Health Education April 2016 Anne Moraa Girl-Content Specialist a.moraa@zanaafrica.org www.zanaafrica.org
Changing emotions and social dynamics
Changing biology
Puberty is a highly vulnerable time for girls. Predation from boys and older men
Expectation to marry or engage in sexual activity
Pressure to perform well in school
Based in Nairobi, ZanaAfrica Foundation supports adolescent girls in Kenya to stay in school by delivering reproductive health education and sanitary pads.
Storytelling is a key component of how we deliver comprehensive, reproductive health education.
“Stories are a way of thinking, a primary organizer of information & ideas, the soul of a culture, and the consciousness of a people. Stories are a way in which we can know, remember and understand.� Livo, N. and Riets, S. Storytelling: Process and Practice
Our Approach to Storytelling for Education
1. Know your cornerstones 2. Define your method 3. What is your balance between abstraction and realism? 4. Edit - Test - Edit!
1. Cornerstones Resonance : reflect girls’ visually and linguistically Listen: We hear what information girls are seeking Honest: Clear, accurate health and life information Engaging: Interesting, interactive and referable Understanding context: Girls do not live in a vacuum! What do parents, teachers and gatekeepers say? Boys need this information, too.
2. Method
Our method is grounded in girls’ lived experiences.
Out of nearly 1,000 anonymous questions, 90%+ centered on: periods bodily changes relationships sex abuse
“What are safe days to have sex without getting pregnant?” “When I get periods for the first time what can I do?”
“When having my period am I expected to remain silent?”
“If you have a boyfriend how will you know that he love and respect you?”
3. Realism vs. Abstraction •
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Abstraction is “the process of considering something indecently of it’s associations, attributes or concrete accompaniments. Abstracted characters create necessary distance Difficult topics can be told best using abstraction (e.g. assault) Realism is “the quality or fact of representing a person, thing or situation accurately in a way that is true to life.” Accurate representations of self & others Show real girls & women as role models
Why Comics? •
Comics are a demonstrated method of reaching youth with information in Kenya: nearly 5 million youth read the popular Shujaaz comic every month that has successfully delivered messages in peacekeeping, conflict resolution and HIV prevention and stigmatization.
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Multi-layered narratives that are reflective of girls’ real life experiences but abstracted enough to tackle complex issues safely.
4. Edit - Test - Edit
Most writing is editing and we do this collaboratively: In-house review Professional Advisory Board Girl Advisory Board Test with your target audience: Do girls understand the key lessons? Are they retaining information? Are they having fun?
Lessons Learned Our first comic had a: 65% Knowledge Retention Rate 98% Share Rate with Girls Outside School Girls connected with the story and were able to identify positive behavior BUT‌ Girls sought more information but the information on each page was overwhelming.
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Next Steps: Magazine Nia Teen Magazine allows for different forms of storytelling in a single package. It contains: •
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Currently in production, each issue is ~60 pages and distributed 3x/year
Comic: Allows for abstraction, multi-layered, continuous narrative Magazine: Highlights and celebrates real women & girls to show positive images, healthy peer/adult role models Infographics: Health information delivered in clear, succinct, visual charts Activities: Designed to encourage girls to re-visit magazine repeatedly over time
Key Lessons •
Cornerstones: What is your approach?
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Define your method.
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What is your balance between abstraction and realism?
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Edit - Test - Edit
Asanteni!