STORYTELLING BEST PRACTICES

03/09/2023

Storytelling is a powerful tool for creating emotional connection with the target audience and achieving desired goals. The story used in storytelling can be true or fiction, but what is important is that it contains elements that will attract audience’s attention and enable them to connect with the protagonist and the topic. Storytelling is also used in resolving collective trauma which is defined as a traumatic event pertaining to the entire society, such as wars, natural disasters, political repression, pandemic and similar. Such events can leave deep psychological wounds to people and society as a whole.

When using storytelling in resolving collective trauma, people are urging other people to share their stories about a traumatic experience and thus process their emotions and sentiments. This method is used in the therapy work with traumas, but also in various other forms of work with people who survived traumatic experience. Through the dedication of story, people can express their pain, suffering, but also hope and recovery. This creates a common sense of connection and empathy, which can help build a community that will support those who suffered trauma. In that regard, storytelling can be a powerful tool to build a community and process of traumatic experiences in collective exchange.

Within the framework of the EU-CARES project, partners have been researching best practices of using storytelling techniques for collective trauma healing and reconciliation.

A compilation of such practices from Belgium, Italy, Serbia, Poland, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found here.

Disclaimer:
© EU-CARES European Collective narratives for reconciliation trauma healing through youth engagement and storytelling has been co-funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
© EU CARES 2023. All rights reserved.
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''We are all stories catalogue'' is a collection of creative works produced by young participants during the storytelling workshops held in Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Poland and Serbia as a part of the EU-CARES project.

These workshops encouraged youth to explore the themes of trauma, reconciliation and healing using various artistic mediums and storytelling techniques from the previously developed eToolkit. The resulting collection showcases the power of storytelling to heal, reconcile and inspire a positive future for inclusive societies.

It contains:
• 2 tales crafted from collected narratives, transforming discriminatory and distorted perspectives into stories with positive morals,
• 2 podcasts on Western Balkans’ collective trauma, reconciliation and healing from the past,
• 1 photographic exhibition exploring themes of diversity, minority representation and cultural differences,
• 2 podcasts detailing the refugee journey to the European Union,
• 1 animated video highlighting the experience of belonging to disadvantaged groups.


We hereby extend our gratitude to all young people who participated and co-created these amazing and inspirational pieces of art.