Storytelling to Educate, Advocate, and Activate with Christopher Reider
About the Class
Using the results of scientifically researched, brain-based techniques, balanced with a variety of inspirational creative writing activities, we will unlock story ideas and build skills that lead to personal narrative vignettes, as well as a culminating project called “Voice of the Unheard” Advocacy Story. This will be told from the perspective of an individual in a silenced or oppressed group. Using primary and secondary research, participants will write and perform their advocacy story, and build an experiential project.
EDUCATE: The first part of the course will require reading and examining of research conducted to measure physiological responses of audiences. The results of these studies will teach us how to tell stories to help create change in learners and audiences.
ADVOCATE: Participants will use a variety of inspirational creative writing activities to unlock ideas in the form of exercises and mini-stories in participants; these lead to personal narrative vignettes, and a culminating project called “Voice of the Unheard” Advocacy Story. This project will be based in primary and secondary academic research, and will inform the story – written from the perspective of an individual in that group. Students will write, revise, and perform their stories.
ACTIVATE: The advocacy research and stories will inspire ground level, experiential work. Participants will create and execute an experiential project, tied thematically to their advocacy research and stories, and learn to become agents of change.
