I’ve been exploring all the ways that capturing and sharing life stories can be used to impact our world. A very important use of story is found in creating awareness and support for causes. In my work for a local domestic violence agency, I experienced first-hand the power of true stories to deepen awareness of the reality and pain of violent behaviors in committed relationships. My role with the agency was two-fold — talking to kids in public schools about healthy relationships and creating public awareness.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I can give you these facts:

20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States – more than 10 million women and men a year.

1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime.

Or, I can tell you a story about how violence in the home impacts children:

“Are you mean?”

It’s not a question I’m asked often, so when the little girl with the cynical blue eyes asked, I knew I’d better give a straight answer.

“I don’t think so.”

“Are you nice? Are you nice to your kids? Do you ever smack their bottoms?”

I told her that I try to be nice to my four boys, but that sometimes moms and dads get angry and they do things and say things they regret. I hoped it was the answer she needed to hear.

As their mom carried on an emotional conversation with their dad on an office phone, eight-year-old Blue Eyes and her little sister sat close by. I could tell that they were taking it all in, and taking on their mom’s pain…...more

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I recently became aware of  Vanessa Chase Lockshin and her organization, The Storytelling Non-Profit. Lockshin provides online training, coaching and consulting for non-profit organizations who wish to use story to expand their monetary support and create awareness. In Lockshin’s words:

As I continue to do this storytelling work, I naturally spend a lot of time thinking about the role of storytelling in our lives. When I think about the current political landscape (in the US), I can’t help but observe that storytelling is a form of truth telling for social justice organizations. And truth telling, in this context, serves the purpose of helping people understand experiences that are different from their own. In many ways, this is the purpose of storytelling outside social justice work, too.

There are many reasons we need truth telling in our societies and cultures. In the context of the work that many non-profits are doing, truth telling is a way to share injustices and start to work towards rectifying those injustices. Storytelling is a way to shine a light on issues and experiences some people might not be aware of. It gives others a glimpse of another perspective. The step beyond that is using storytelling to catalyze support for your organization’s approach to solving that problem. Without storytelling and truth telling, I often wonder what shape some of the major social moments of the 20th century would have taken……more

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