March 9 & 17: Youth Digital Storytelling Workshop

Digital storytelling for marginalized youth in the Waterloo region aims to democratize the storytelling process by providing a platform for voices that are not often heard in public discourse. This initiative contributes to creating a more inclusive and diverse cultural landscape while empowering marginalized youth as engaged citizens in their respective communities.

In the workshop, participants will gain exposure to tools, skills, and platforms for crafting and sharing their narratives through various digital mediums, such as videos, blogs, podcasts, and social media. The emphasis of the workshop is on shared learning through practical engagement, where everyone collaborates on 3-5 minute digital storytelling projects. These projects can take diverse formats, including text, graphics, still photographs, animations, videos, and audio.

Conducted in a circle dialogue  format, the morning session (March 9) focuses on exploring digital storytelling possibilities, setting project parameters, and selecting topics. In the afternoon, attention turns to digital storytelling tools, resources (including those available in KPL), and developing a production work plan. The group will reconvene on March 17th at the Civic Hub, where participants will present their ongoing projects and formulate post-production plans.

The workshop kicks off at 9:30 am on Saturday, March 9th, running for half a day, and concludes with a full day on Sunday, March 17th. 

Participants will engage in digital storytelling projects over the break, with a meetup on March 17th. Student mentors, numbering 4-6 young adults, will assist and maintain communication through a Discord group.

This collaborative effort involves civic hub community partners, including Home Range and Peace for All Canada, with Martin de Groot and Ayiko Solomon as facilitators.

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If you are interested, please send an email to civichub@waterlooregion.org with the following information -

• Name of the youth
• Age
• Any dietary restrictions or allergies that the organizers need to be aware of.

If you know of someone who would like to be a mentor, then do send an email to - Martin de Groot:  mdg131@gmail.com

The student mentors will be paid an honorarium.