Following the Story Update

Hi team, 

I’ve been spending time interviewing CPPW communities that have been involved in our storytelling training, asking them how they’ve been using story and what changes they’ve seen in their communities as a result of their newfound (or revamped) skills.

From these Following the Story interviews, we’ve come up with a few broad categories of use: building and fostering partnerships, strategic communication, impact, engagement, system change and development process, and feedback loop. Over the last few months, individuals have offered a lot of great thoughts on how to use story. Below are some of the especially compelling ideas I’ve heard.

Building and fostering partnerships is a strategic process for comprehensive and integrative broad based work.

“...showing those [video stories] to people really gets them motivated and gets them excited about what we’re doing and so it makes it easier then to work with partners because CPPW is all about partnerships. I mean, we couldn’t do the work by ourselves. We have to have others in the community working with us to achieve the goals that we set in that plan. So, this helps us garner support. It really does.”

Strategic communication is a two-lane ‘bike path.’ Messages are created to counter the mainstream narrative about public health issues to change public awareness, inform action steps and build bridges between people.

“And so I believe it, you know, having the banners and having the ads and for them going out in the community having a radio drama both in the African American community and Hispanic community basically kind of gave them a face. A different kind of face, really. Like, to say, in the Promesas y Traiciones there was this immigrant family that was dealing with diabetes and smoking and different things and just for them to be identified with the characters and say, “That’s me. That’s my community.” That really strikes a cord on an individual basis. For something that’s so, you know, that is impactful on a higher level like a policy level. I believe it made it really hit home to the individual.”

“[The digital story] has been a nice bridge as I’m approaching new partners and new organizations to be able to speak from a personal level and not with so much jargon.”

Impact is the process of change that occurs due to specific policies or decisions through an engagement practice for affecting disadvantaged communities.

“During the fall, we also had our heart walk, which I don’t know if you’re familiar with those, but similar to what the American Cancer Society does for Relay for Life, we have a walk in the fall in many different cities across the state, and, again, to raise funds for the American Heart Association or, you know, prevention and research. And I put my video up on my fundraising page, and I was able to raise over $700 with that which is an increase from last year, my last year in doing personal donations for the Heart Association just from my friends and family, and, you know, other people. I raised like $250 more with having my page be more interactive with the video on there, so that was a definite plus and increase utilizing that video.”

“We actually got a mini grant to pay for Chef Thomas’ time because of the video.”

Engagement is the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people in communities affiliated by geographic proximity, similar interests or situations to address issues affecting the wellbeing of those people.

“Well, I think, I never really had a great idea or understanding of story as a way of getting people engaged in the public health sector the way that we’re trying to use it. I just never thought about it the way that it was explained to us so I think just a different perspective. And it doesn’t have to be over the top it just has to be those elements and you would be amazed at what you can get people to do or say and get them engaged.”

“We have gotten a couple of volunteers from our cessation classes and that’s the reason why we’re trying to collect their stories. Our cessation facilitator is excellent at sharing her story about how tobacco has affected her life and ravaged her family. And it really inspires people because they don’t want to go through that same experience and then they don’t want other people to go through that experience as well. So we have gotten some people who are interested in helping us out with some of our events and activities to talk to people about quitting.”

System Change & Development is a process that looks beyond individual attributes in order to understand the relationships between them within the community context (Goldsmith 2010).

“I think what it’s done is brought awareness and within the video after we finish...we talk a little bit in the video, about the importance of really shifting policies, environments, and systems changes. And then after the video, we really really focus on that. And I think the video just helps make that conversation easier than without it.”

“...showing the video has helped us have our school wellness committees and school boards be receptive to a lot of the policy changes that we’re trying to help them with.”

Feedback Loops ensure that changes are effective and sustainable.

“You know, we shared it with the healthy living collaboration and, you know, I think seeing themselves, especially the people that are in the video, seeing themselves in the video kind of solidifies their commitment to what we’re all trying to do and so I think there is power in seeing how you’re part of a greater effort.”

“You know, I think it kind of touches people. It makes people think they’re part of a bigger effort. And I think it solidifies their determination, at least with our healthy living collaboration folks. And the Health and Human Services board members that I‘ve heard from. You know, it really solidifies their support for what we are all trying to do.”

“I think it’s made it much more human, the idea of using stories, and much more attainable. I mean, I never thought I could tell a story, for example. But you made it easy. And your process makes it comfortable, I think.”