We turn to storytelling in organizing to answer the question of “why?” why we care, why the work that we do matters, why we value one goal over another. Storytelling allows us to communicate our values, and in organizing, we use stories to articulate our shared values. Each of us can learn to tell our story that can move others to action. We all have stories of challenge and hope. The trick is, to articulate a story , so it communicates the values that called us to lead and unite. Also, challenges that we must overcome together.
At our March 21, 2019 meeting we did a training on how to tell your story. We watched a brief video story about a women name Maura. Maura is a garment worker in Los Angeles, CA. Maura was fired from her job for speaking up about the inhumane conditions. She went to her local Workers Center for help. We watched Maura grow from a shy person into a vocal member leader at her local Workers Center. We discussed the fears that kept Maura from speaking out at first. How Joann, an organizer, encourages Maura to tell her story and explain how everyone has leadership potential.
In our training we spoke of how a story structure is made up of three elements: plot, character, and moral, but a story comes alive when the character faces a challenge, makes a choice, and experiences the outcome. The Public Narrative framework is comprised of a Story of Self, a Story of Us, and a Story of Now, and learning to craft and re-craft your Public Narrative is a leadership practice. We were able to write, tell our stories and practice public speaking.
We want to say thank you to all who attended our monthly meeting/ training. We have a meeting/ training every month. If you missed this one, that’s ok! We will see you at the next one.
