Storytelling is a fundamental part of not only communication and web content, but of our contemporary world at large. A story can provide ideas or suggest solutions to long-standing questions; it allows us to identify with other people, put ourselves in their shoes, and relive their experiences. A well-crafted story will take us to places and contexts we would never be able to reach otherwise; or will show us familiar places from a different perspective. In other words, a story can change the way we are, providing us with new lenses for looking at the world. All this is essential for a changemaker – a word that defines someone able to trigger social change. It is a neologism created by Ashoka, an organization of which we became partner more than a year ago, and which consists of a group of social innovators working together to come up with new creative solutions to the most urgent social problems.
Also thanks to the support of lettera27, during the last year Ashoka selected more than 50 schools in seven African countries, which are now part of the Changemaker Schools network. Due to their innovative educational methods, these schools – selected by a panel of experts and opinion leaders in the educational field – represent a breeding ground for a new generation of changemakers in the African continent. But the future has already begun, thanks to small but important changes that teachers and students are already experiencing in their daily school practice. We agree with Ashoka that this ongoing process is a story worth telling. We also think that this story should be created and disseminated by the schools themselves, starting with the students, who are the true protagonists of these valuable experiences.
That is why Ashoka and lettera27 promote the teaching of storytelling in Ashoka Changemaker Schools, through workshops with experts and professionals. The African School for Excellence (ASE) of Johannesburg, South Africa, will be the first school involved in a pilot workshop from October 19 to 23. Thanks to its advanced educational methods, focusing on the specificities of the local community, ASE is regarded as one of the most innovative schools in the continent. Its approach is based on peer learning, with teachers playing only a minor part in students’ learning. Apart from attending traditional lectures, students are also encouraged to share knowledge by working in small groups where the older ones can guide the younger in their learning process. This method helps children build independence and problem-solving skills, while also contributing to reducing the costs, making the school more sustainable and accessible to local communities.
During the five days of the Youth Storytelling Workshop, 30 students will learn the basic techniques of writing a script, creating a storyboard, video-making, vlogging, and using video-interviews to tell innovative stories emerging from their school and local community. In addition to this storytelling workshop, lettera27 is also promoting a two-day learning project dedicated to WikiAfrica, with the aim of introducing students and teachers to the most widely used online encyclopedia in the world and encouraging students to share stories related to their local communities and cultural heritage.
The pilot project starting in October intends to identify the best and most effective tools to turn Ashoka Changemaker Schools into true “storytelling hubs”. The first step will be the Storytelling Panel & Workshop dedicated to Changemaker Schools educators and leaders at the South African Regional Summit in Cape Town on October 30, organized with the aim of helping them develop new storytelling educational methods. lettera27 will be in Johannesburg to share these stories with you in real time. Stay tuned!
Claude Bunny Massassa is a contemporary artist from Gabon. She created Bunny Studio in 2016, a start-up dedicated to photography production, which became DWABI Studio in 2021. As an artist, she has represented Gabon in many international exhibitions in Senegal, Uganda, France, the United States, and Italy. In her art, she denounces social stigmas around issues of identity and mental health, and explores themes of traditions and myths.
Executive Director Kimberly Aceves- Iñiguez has been passionately committed for over 20 years to social justice organizing and advocacy efforts that bring voice and power to youth, LGBTQ people, people of color, and working-class communities in the Bay Area. Before coming on as the Executive Director for RYSE, Kimberly served as the Executive Director for Youth Together, the founding organization of the RYSE Center.
Kanwarpal Dhaliwal is one of the co-founders of RYSE and currently acts as the Associate Director. She supports and guides the implementation and integration of healing-centered practices, grounded in racial justice and liberation, and also develops, promotes, and advocates for policies, investments, practices, and research that enliven healing, justice, and liberation. Kanwarpal believes that the purpose of her work and life is to contribute to movements, communities, and legacies of liberation that honor the ancestors who fought for her existence and survival, and to forge a world that is just and gentle for future generations.
Sagal Ali is the founder and executive director of SAF. After a few years in her career in heritage protection in the cultural sector, she decided to develop the initiative to directly support young creatives in Somalia by launching her own foundation. She hopes to bridge the social gaps and inequalities women face in Somalia, both in society and in the arts scene.
Co-founders Catherine Dunga and Marleen Palmaers created Kitambo to bridge the gap between the African diaspora in Colombia and the narratives from the continent. From Kinshasa and Antwerp respectively, they work to connect African artists from the continent and their peers from the Colombian diaspora.
Martha Kazungu is a curator, art Historian and Founder of Njabala Foundation, an organization that curates periodic exhibitions and organizes a public program of activities to create a safe space for female artists to thrive and blossom.
Alicia Hansen is a photographer and teacher from New York. She founded NYC SALT in 2008 and, beyond teaching valuable creative skills to her students, has developed a long-term support system to uplift them through school and into their early artistic careers.
