Narratives
"Stories have power, they can influence others’ perspectives"
- Celeste Sanchez
What is a "story," exactly? We hear the word all the time, but does it really mean the same thing to everyone? Quintin explained that "a story is a course of events that happen in a certain order... nothing happens randomly." Nia thought more about perspective, she said that the way you perceive information makes or breaks a "story." In Nia's words, a story "depends on the way you look at it. Gossip is a story. People can own a story. Our check-ins at the beginning of TL are stories. We can answer questions with a story." Celeste built upon Nia's response, explaining that "stories have power. They can influence others' perspectives." Which is especially true of the "stories" we hear in the news and in documentaries, for instance.
RJ then asked the teens to think about not only where stories can be found, but why stories are told. The teens collectively came up with some answers: we tell stories to entertain, to inform, to misinform, to advertise. We tell stories as an“outlet” to share our imagination and our opinions.
What is your story?
Instead of answering right away, RJ lead the group through some brainstorming activities. Then, the teens used a variety of media, such as collage, text, and painting to expand their ideas and tell a comprehensive story of their own.
Check out the results:
