Creating the future by empowering youth voices: digital storytelling

1. Creating the future by empowering youth voices: digital storytelling Barbara Stripling President, American Library Association Assistant Professor, Syracuse University, USA

2. Why empower youth voices?

3. “It’s not as much a question of self-expression as a need of finding yourself.” ~ PenttiSaarikoski • Counter invisibility • Develop sense of identity • Develop sense of cultural heritage • Share culture  Build the future Empowering youth voices

4. Tell me a fact and I’ll learn Tell me a truth and I’ll believe Tell me a story and I’ll remember it forever --Gail Matthews DeNatale Why storytelling?

5. Expresses personal narrative using multimedia --Modern expression of ancient art of storytelling – • Shares knowledge, wisdom, and values – Reflection of personal culture • Involves process of meaning-making • Gives value to lived experiences • Connects experience and language What is digital storytelling?

6. Why digital storytelling?

7. " Digital storytelling is exponentially more powerful than other forms of storytelling because the digital format immediately makes a student's knowledge available to a global audience. " -Mark Standley Why digital storytelling?

8. What is impact on our youth?

9. Strengthens literacy

10. It’s like we all tell a story about ourselves inside our own head. Always. All the time. That story makes us what we are. We build ourselves out of that story. ~ Adapted from Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wild Cultivates agency and voice

11. “Ask them what’s on their mind and give them the tools to help them say what they have to say in a more powerful way.” ` Dr. Ernest Morrell Real problems, Authentic voices control Self-esteem Agency and voice

12. You can take my life, my mind too. You don’t have to take my heart. I’m giving it to you. But the one thing you will never get is my pen. Because without it, I am nothing. Builds sense of identity

13. You were not expected to aspire to excellence; You were expected to make peace with mediocrity. ` James Baldwin Sets high expectations

14. Know whence you came. If you know whence you came, there is really no limit of where you can go. ~James Baldwin Builds cultural competence

15. “Telling personal stories publicly celebrates our life.“ BernajeanPorter Values lived experiences

16. Seven Elements of Digital Stories: • A point of view • A dramatic question • Emotional content • Economy • Pacing • The gift of your voice • Soundtrack Thinking about images What processes & tools are used? Mentoring

17. Open-ended Branching Hyperlinked Cross-media Participatory Exploratory Unpredictable Characteristics of digital stories

18. Posters

19. Photo essays

20. Music videos

21. Dear Child Documentaries, Narratives

22. Impact -- Social action

23. "I know only one thing about the technologies that await us in the future: We will find ways to tell stories with them." -Jason Ohler " A story should be remembered for its soul, and not the bells and whistles." -Bernajean Porter What does the future hold?

24. “I think social change can come from any direction. Creative expression can be spread globally, which means it goes beyond culture, generation, gender, religion, and location. Creative expression doesn’t say ‘you should do this’ but it makes people think ‘I can do something’—it leads to social change.” —SaoriMiyagawa, Adobe Youth Voices Facilitator Social change

25. Thank you! Barbara Stripling President, American Library Association bstripli@syr.edu