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Refugees to tell their stories at Workshop 03
January 3, 2012
At the dawn of a new year it is natural to look forward to what’s ahead. Latitudes and Longitudes begins 2012 with an exciting new partnership with the Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support (MCRS).
In mid-January, working with MCRS, we will host a digital storytelling workshop for refugees who have made their homes in Waterloo Region. Workshop partcipants will be able to create the story of their journey to Canada.
Waterloo Region has a long tradition of welcoming immigrants and refugees. While these peoples’ public stories have been well documented in the media, their personal stories often remain hidden:
- The person ahead of you in the checkout line could have very well have escaped from her homeland over 20 years ago. Along with 11 other families members – ages 2 to 65 – pursued by enemies to Mexico City where, only under the cover of night could she find food for her family and negotiate a second escape to Canada.
- Your workmate at the next desk might well have left a successful business in South America to seek a life where his success didn’t make him a target for criminals – criminals who threatened the life of his spouse and two young daughters unless he paid protection money.
- The young man who works so hard in the yoga class could easily have found his way to Canada by way of refugee camps in Africa; overcome schoolyard and systemic racism that threatened to derailed his new life in Canada but found a new role as an advocate for and mentor to disenfranchised youth.
These are real stories of people living right here in Waterloo Region – people who have risked their lives to get to Canada. They have left family, friends and their birthplace to find a future free from the threat of death, free from extortion … free to build a new life story.
Through this partnership with MCRS we hope to add some of these refugees’ stories to Latitudes and Longitudes’ growing library of personal digital stories collected here on our website. Visit our library to see the stories we collected over the past year.
Building this library is an important aspect of the Latitudes and Longitudes digital storytelling project, equally important to our work is leaving behind a culture and framework that encourages storytelling as a community building process. One which fosters personal relationships and a recognition of individual’s stories as a fundamental building block of our culture.
Working with MCRS is a rare opportunity to weave digital storytelling into the life of community. We look forward to meeting new storytellers and bringing their stories to life.
Created by Mitra Doherty at Workshop-02, September 7 to Oct 12, 2011
Mitra is passionate about getting mercury out of the environment, particularly the use of this poisonous metal in dental fillings.
Making this story, says Mitra, has made me “more focused – determined” to achieve my goals.
“No More Mercury” – created at Digital Storytelling Wokshop-02
December 27, 2011
When John Ferreira was murdered and his son assaulted while on a New Year’s Eve walk along the Iron Horse Trail in 2010 – a walking trail near their home in Kitchener Ontario Canada – the neighbourhood was thrown into grief and disbelief.
How could this happen? Who are these people who killed my neighbour and friend? Is this neighbourhood still safe for my family?
The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council started a collaborative initiative with residents to regain a sense of security and optimism in the Victoria Park neighbourhood.
One of the techniques the Council’s community engagement coordinator Juanita Metzger used in her work was digital storytelling. Juanita was a storyteller at Latitudes and Longitudes’ inaugural workshop in the spring of 2011. She took the skills she learned there back to community. (You can see Juanita’s story “Lucky Instinct” here.)
Working with resident Aimee Polevoy – and with support from Latitudes and Longitudes project director Dwight Storring – they created a digital story to document Aimee’s journey from the first shock of her friend John’s death to her commitment to making her community a better place to live.
Digital storytelling helps neighbourhood heal
December 5, 2011 — 1 Comment
Created by Jenn Hind at Workshop-02, September 7 to Oct 12, 2011
“I’m telling this story to bring awareness that grief can be transformed into a positive growth experience”
“I have grown emotionally and found strength in loss.”
“I Miss You Dad” – created at Digital Storytelling Workshop-02
November 15, 2011
A story about the beauty of simple things by Yin He, created at Workshop-02, September 7 to October 12, 2011.
“Memory” – created at Digital Storytelling Workshop-02
November 14, 2011
This contribution to the Latitudes and Longitudes Story Bank was made at Word on the Street 2011, Kitchener Ontario Canada.
Did you hear the one about the instrument maker who walked into his friend’s restaurant with a dovetail saw in his hand? Retired university professor Doug Larson tells all in this excerpt from his book The Storyteller Guitar.
The Storyteller Guitar by Doug Larson
October 5, 2011
This Latitudes and Longitudes Story Bank contribution was made by Germaine Liu at Word on the Street, September 24, 2011, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
The Intruder by Germaine Liu
October 4, 2011
This contribution to the Latitudes and Longitudes Story Bank was made by Steven at Word on the Street, September 24, 2011 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
My Journey … so far by Steven
October 3, 2011
This contribution to the Latitudes and Longitudes Story Bank was made by Robin Livingston at Word on the Street – September, 24, 2011 in Kitchener Ontario , Canada
If you would like to read more of Robin’s work you can visit her blog. If you would like to find out more about Robin visit her website.
Catch a Beaver by the Tail by Robin Livingston
October 3, 2011 — 1 Comment
Renowned Canadian storyteller and author Dan Yashinsky to speak at workshop
August 31, 2011
Dan Yashinsky, storyteller, author, editor and community organizer
We recently confirmed that renowned storyteller and author Dan Yashinsky will bring his “Speaking Story” workshop to the September 21 session of the Latitudes and Longitude Digital Storytelling workshop.
Dan is the author of “Suddenly They Heard Footsteps – Storytelling for the Twenty-first Century”. He has collaborated with the Centre for Digital Storytelling in Toronto on several projects, most recently Story Heroes (for Luminato Festival) and futurefolklore.wordpress.ca, an experiment in web-based storytelling.
In this workshop, he’ll explore how the language of story is part of everyday life, family memories, folktales, and oral culture. What makes a story memorable? Why are good stories so suspenseful? For digital storytelling, what’s the “red thread” – the inner life – of the story you’re trying to tell?
The workshop opens next Wednesday September 7.
