Tell Your Story
Communications can encompass many types of activities and materials, but at its root, it’s all about storytelling. Stories are a powerful part of the human experience, because as leadership and organizing expert Marshall Ganz wrote: “Storytelling is how we interact with each other about values; how we share experiences with each other, counsel each other, comfort each other, and inspire each other to action.”
In fact, storytelling is so important that USAID made it the focus of their International Youth Day 2021 event with USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who as a journalist and author is herself a storyteller. You can hear what Administrator Power had to say about the power of storytelling here:
Here are some great resources to help you tell more impactful stories:
- The USAID Higher Education Storytelling Toolkit contains practical guidance on audience identification, format selection, storytelling strategies, interview strategies, visual storytelling strategies, video strategies and social media usage. Though tailored for higher education initiatives, most of the guidance is transferable to other sectors of programming.
- Bridging the Gap’s Inclusive and Accessible Communication Guidelines shares tips on inclusive language and behavior, as well as how to make communication products accessible.
- See examples of youth-led video creation and young people’s stories from the Global LEAD #WatchOurImpact Digital Storytelling Contest.
- USAID’s Photo Guide for Partners includes great tips for compelling photos as well as technical details on photography.
- Thinking of using a slideshow to tell your story? Check out Nine Tips for Great Slideshows from Photography on the Side, and YouthLead’s How to Make a Slideshow for Free.
- Video storytelling is incredibly popular and a more accessible medium thanks to smartphones. If you’re planning to create videos, take a look at the YouthLead guides on Video Storytelling: How to Drive Connection Through Narrative and Tips for Recording Yourself on Video.
- If you’re considering integrating youth-led communications or media into your activities, Restless Development has great articles on Becoming a Mobile Journalist and Using a Mobile Phone to Tell Stories.
- UNICEF’s Voices of Youth resource library includes guidance and tools on blogging, filmmaking, and advocacy.
