Tag Archive for: Digital Storytelling

SaskScapes Season Two!

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It is so exciting to be back as Community Engagement Animateur to continue the SaskScapes podcast series.  There are still so many stories to tell.

Having someone tell you their story can be a very important moment in their lives and yours. Our stories are the great “unifier”.  A common bond of shared experiences.

SaskScapes is an “aural archive” chronicling stories of the past, present, kindness, courage, creativity, decency, dignity, resilience and strength. 48 episodes to date, over 28 hours of conversation and a listenership of over 11,000 and growing – from as far away as Kenya – the world is listening to your stories Saskatchewan! And this year you get to have your voice heard.

I welcome the opportunity to talk to any of you who feel there is a story that needs to be heard.  And I want to ENGAGE your communities in this series.  There seems to be a tremendous interest in “StorySlams” which is one of my most favourite podcast types to listen to.  A StorySlam is a public event where folks who have signed up have had a chance to craft a true story from their lives and distill it down to it’s essence of 5 minutes in length. That part is done in a workshop the day before,  then your community is invited to attend as the stories are being shared.  And, if you’d like, it’s tradition to have a bit of a friendly “competition” and have the audience choose their favourite story of the evening. That person could perhaps be featured in your town’s newsletter, or website.

You can find all of the previously recorded episodes here on the iheartculture.ca website, or download them for free from iTunes or Stitcher radio.

I’ve enjoyed meeting Carol and Kristin, my two CEA colleagues. We’ve been travelling together of the past few weeks, along with Damon Badger Heit and meeting with members of the communities in group sessions where we’ve shared what we can bring to your communities. Your response has been wonderful!

Just incase you’re asking yourself “what is this podcast thing all about anyway?” Here’s how I like to think of it:

Podcasts are the fastest growing form of spoken word and music on the Internet today. Millions of people download them daily. Think of a podcast as a radio style talk show. But unlike radio, you don’t have to wait for your favorite program to air. It’s on demand, ready for you to listen to when you want – streaming from the Internet or downloading to your computer, iPod, smart phone, iPad or other devices that can play mp3 files. Podcasts are portable. Listen to them while you’re driving, gardening, camping, exercising….

I look forward to engaging with you and your communities once again!

 

The Things Bea Arthur Ate by Coby

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Many people, mostly kids, who’ve taken my digital storytelling workshops have done their stories on their family pets. At my final workshop as a Culture Days Animateur, held at the Queen City Hub, Coby Stephenson wrote, voiced and produced this funny and touching digital story about her dog, Bea Arthur. Bea Arthur is a Labrador Retriever who has destroyed many of Coby’s belongings, but, as Coby puts it, “out of destruction comes the strength to let things go.”

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Youth Mural Project in Shaunavon

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On a warm, sunny morning in July, about a dozen youth gathered in front of the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre to paint a mural. Over the next several weeks, youth from a variety of cultural backgrounds came together to transform a blank sheet of plywood on the side of a local building into a vibrant painting. While I was in Shaunavon this summer, I met up with some of the youth and organizers of this project, and produced this digital story.

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Pioneer Women Project

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A group of people in Weyburn is raising funds for a sculpture of a pioneer woman.

As part of this project, the Committee, made up of Jan Linnell, Mayvis Goranson and M. Isabelle Butters, is encouraging people to share stories of Saskatchewan pioneer women. Two schools in Weyburn invited me to help turn their students’ narratives into digital stories. Grade 5 students at Assiniboia Park Elementary School were given the assignment to write about a pioneer woman travelling through time to the present day or to imagine a person from the year 2014 traveling back in time to pioneer days. The students wrote scripts, collected photos and produced imaginative digital stories that included a lot of references to Wal-Mart, cell phones, girls wearing pants, electricity, melting snow for water and general stores.

Later in the week, I visited Souris School and worked with 11 grade 5 students. Each had been given the assignment to interview a woman at a seniors’ home. The students brainstormed questions as a class and took a day trip to one of the local seniors’ homes, where they met women “as young as 94 years old,” as one student put it. After finding out what life was like for some of the seniors, the students took photos, wrote scripts and produced digital stories.

On the day that I was at Souris School, a couple of women from the Pioneer Woman Sculpture Committee and interested seniors visited the school to see what the students were up to. The students explained their projects to the seniors, who were impressed with the students’ creativity, dedication to the project, and their technical skills.

For more information about the Pioneer Woman Sculpture Project, please contact:

Ross McMurtry: 306-848-0444 Stan Runne: 306-842-5864 or Leo Leydon: 306-842-2595

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Love and Apple Pie by Janice

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Janice took my digital storytelling workshop in Weyburn. She came to the workshop with several old photographs of her parents and ended up writing a beautiful story. Married in 1934, Janice’s parents were together for 62 years. They lived through the dirty thirties and the loss of a child, but despite this, the couple experienced many wonderful years together. Janice shares her parents’ love story.

My Heritage by Jay

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Last week, I worked with 14 grade 5 and 6 students in Fillmore, SK. Jay’s story is about his Chinese Heritage. Do you know your Chinese Zodiac sign? I am a Monkey. Jay is a Ram. In this story, Jay shares some of his favourite Chinese traditions.

A Hidden Hero by Christine

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In this digital story, Christine, of Weyburn, pays tribute to her late uncle, a war veteran who didn’t speak much about his time in military service. Despite this, Christine managed to piece together tidbits of information, photographs and family memories in order to write and produce this lovely story about her uncle, Sgt. Hugh A. MacDougall, a “hidden hero.”

A Different Balance by Megan

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After Megan’s grandfather passed away, she found a scrapbook documenting his life as a young man. Before opening it, Megan thought her grandpa was “just a plumber, running a successful business in town,” but she learned that he was much more than that. Here’s the digital story that Megan wrote, voiced, and produced at a workshop in Melfort after flipping through the pages of her grandfather’s scrapbook.

Moving to Melfort by Liezel

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Liezel moved to Melfort from the Philippines in 2002. In this digital story, she shares her adventure of integrating into Canadian culture as well as the challenges she faced as a newcomer to Saskatchewan. Today, she is happy to call Melfort home.

 

Moving to Eastend by Nathan

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Nathan moved to Eastend, SK when he was 12 years old. A self-described city boy at heart, Nathan wrote and produced this digital story on how he grew to appreciate living in a small prairie town.