September 2018

Topic: Storytelling as a Catalyst for Systems Change
Description: “Stories create community, enable us to see through the eyes of other people, and open us to the claims of others.” – Peter Forbes.  Storytelling is a powerful strategy to foster significant input from community members on needed changes to systems in society. This workshop identified three core change-functions of storytelling that highlight how to use this strategy to enhance the effectiveness of social sector organizations. Storytelling can be used as a tool to improve society by ensuring that people’s stories and lived experiences are incorporated into organizational practices, policies and culture. This workshop also served as the launch of two new Vitalyst Publications to support participants in applying storytelling in their work: The Storytelling Toolkit for Resident Leaders and the policy brief, Storytelling as a Catalyst for Systems Change. Authors, Stephanie Luz Cordel and Liz Warren, provided an interactive workshop to familiarize attendees with the basics of storytelling and its potential to impact systems change.

Participants gained:

• An understanding of how authentic stories can foster systems change.
• A set of basic story finding and crafting tools to use in your daily professional and personal life.
• A plan for next steps in integrating storytelling into your work