Verde Smoke

Digital storytelling has become a medium to communicate both my own voice and those of the local community members, organizers, and youth. Rooted in the movement started at the Center for Digital Storytelling and Creative Narrations, these stories are produced in a collaborative workshop format, where community members write, share, and record their own autobiographical narrative, using photographs, video clips, and music.  I’ve gladly joined a small but warm community of artists, facilitators, and activists who promote digital storytelling as an accessible and fun way to gather and distribute stories, and to tune people onto using technology as a tool for social change.

Here’s some examples of my presentations on digital storytelling and stories created in workshops I’ve facilitated.

Community Digital Storytellers’ Community StoriesForChange.net:

project manage social networking site, launched May 2007.

CityScope Peru:

student blogging and digital stories, as writing teaching assistant for undergraduate writing intensive course based in practice in Tambo de Mora, Peru, Spring 2008

Grassroots Use of Technology Conference:

one day DS Bootcamp with community radio and television producers, Lowell, June 2007

SETC Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn pilot:

South End Technology Center, Boston, Sumer 2007

Teen Digital Storymapping Bootcamp:

youth digital storytelling and mapping workshop in Roxbury, June 2007

MassIMPACT Spreading the Stories Train-the-Trainer:

3.5 day digital storytelling train-the-trainer workshop at Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA) and the El Batey Technology Center, March 2007

BE THE MEDIA:

a Mini Conference Promoting Democracy, Access and Social Change; workshop for non-profit communications staff and activists (Boston, November 2006)

Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) Convention:

Digital Story Telling & Multimedia Organizing workshop (Boston, October 2006)

International Intel Computer Clubhouse Teen Summit:

three day track with over thirty international teen leaders (Northeastern University, July 2006)

Gathering of Community Digital Storytellers:

on Inclusive Storytelling panel around making storytelling more accessible (MIT, June 2006)

Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Cyber Summit:

two-day youth track with six girls from Roxbury and R.I., on the theme of "networking neighborhoods" (Chelsea MA, April 2006)

Intel Computer Clubhouse International Annual Conference:

Digital Storytelling hands-on post-conference track for Clubhouse coordinators (Mexico City, March 2006)

Girls Get Connected:

four hour workshop with middle girls from the Horace Mann School of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Simmons College, March 2006)

Spreading the Stories:

three-day digital storytelling train-the-trainer workshop for after-school staff and community activists (Umass Boston, February 2006)

For more resources on digital storytelling, check out these links:

• Stories For Change
• Center for Digital Storytelling
• Creative Narrations
• MassIMPACT
• CTC VISTA Project Del.icio.us links