Stories Should Be Shared Not Taken
I was seven years old when my story was told by a nonprofit. I didn’t really know what was in my best interest. I needed someone like me on the shoot, to speak up for me. To tell the organization that had all the power that people are more important than stories. Now I work with nonprofits, NGOs, and humanitarian organizations to tell them differently.
Dear Nonprofits, INGOs, Foundations, & Humanitarian Organizations,
My story experience is shared by others. You have the opportunity to tell them differently.
Let’s be honest, humanitarian storytelling has long held the power to help or hurt the people nonprofits are supposed to serve. No one wants to talk about the unequal power dynamics in these spaces, but we should.
I was seven years old when I had my own story told by a nonprofit. In some ways that story did help me. In others, it did me harm. I needed someone like me on that shoot. Now I advocate for others like me. I don’t just tell stories. I create safety.
Don’t get me wrong. I am motivated to help organizations tell stories. I have seen first hand how stories create change in the world. But I want to create a different world, one where we all have autonomy over how our stories are told.
My work as a story producer has shown me that we all long to be seen and understood. I incorporate compassion, empathy, and ethical boundaries into my story collection work. This foundation helps me see people as they are. To trust the way they see themselves. I seek input and ongoing consent from the people whose stories I curate. And I bring all of myself to these shoots from the seven year old to the passionate advocate and masterful story producer. I have the ability to connect with anyone and guide them to share their stories authentically with power, agency and vulnerability.
