StoryCenter

This summer, StoryCenter stewarded powerful stories from women with diverse backgrounds through our work with Dress for Success' Global Ambassador Program.

During this collaborative effort, these women learned to share their stories in grounded, emotionally compelling ways they'll carry forward to lead others.

This month's featured story, "Hope," comes from Barb Brennan, formerly incarcerated, now co-founder of Bars Behind Me, who is supporting others after incarceration.

Watch Barb’s story: https://youtu.be/uXj32l0vz4g

Every great podcast starts with a voice worth hearing, and yours could be next. Join experienced digital storytellers, Bojan Fürst and Michelle Dahlenburg, for a 8-week deep dive into podcast storytelling. Covering everything from theory to hands-on production, you’ll walk away with a polished podcast segment of your own.

📅 Fridays, Sept. 11 – Oct. 30, 2026
⏰ 9am PT / 12pm ET
💻 Online, 2 hours/session

Registration is Open! https://www.storycenter.org/schedule/https/storycenterasme/fall26podcasting

🎒 It’s back to school time in the US. A time filled with memories and similar shared experiences.

Antalya Stevens shares a story about being truly seen — by family, friends, and one teacher who took the time to notice her. A small act, a lifelong impact.

Who was that teacher for you?

👇 Drop their name in the comments and be sure to watch Antalya’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ_bemuZQ5U

StoryCenter is now accepting applications for our 𝐧𝐞𝐰 Facilitator Training for Community Programs. In this hands-on training for community workers, you will learn how to run digital storytelling workshops that drive real change within your own community.

The program includes:
→ Two to three virtual orientation sessions starting October 2026
→ 4-day in-person mandatory training in Oakland, CA (Nov. 9–13)
→ Ongoing peer support and coaching through August 2027
→ 1-on-1 implementation support from StoryCenter staff

The program is built for people affiliated with a community organization who have already completed a digital storytelling workshop. A letter of organizational support is required to apply.

𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟓. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐞𝐞: $𝟒,𝟎𝟎𝟎.

For more information, visit our website: https://www.storycenter.org/digital-storytelling-training-community-organizations

Please help to support programs like this and all that StoryCenter has to offer by becoming a donor today!
https://www.storycenter.org/donation

We recently took a step back to ask ourselves: What are we really here to do?

The answer — our brand new mission statement:

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.

Simple words for powerful work. We'd love for you to be part of it.

Become a monthly donor today and help us keep the stories flowing.
https://www.storycenter.org/donation

"This is What an Episcopal Priest Looks Like" by Lynelle Bathan shares an experience that helped her embrace being a q***r minister. Lynelle’s story highlights the power of digital stories to build empathy in the world. They use moments from our lives that counter our fragmenting world by strengthening community and shining a light on justice and belonging.

Today, we're launching Sustaining StoryCenter, a one-week fundraising campaign dedicated to growing our community of donors and investing in the future of our work.

All donations are celebrated, however, StoryCenter needs monthly donors. Monthly donors provide steady, reliable support that allows us to innovate, deepen our impact, and respond to emerging opportunities.

This week, we'll share key elements of our new strategic plan. It focuses on expanding access to StoryCenter's methods and leveraging participatory storytelling to activate social change.

Follow along this week and consider becoming part of the community that makes it possible.

Become a monthly donor - https://www.storycenter.org/donation

This is what an Episcopal priest looks like by Lynelle Bathan Lynelle's story beautifully captures an experience that helped her ...

What does it mean to reclaim a language? For Ashani Coviello, it means honoring the resilience of her ancestors and carrying their words forward for her daughter.

Ashani’s story was born in the We Are Our Languages digital storytelling workshop, created in partnership with Endangered Languages Project. Storytellers from around the world came together to find their voices, build skills, and tell their own stories of language, land, and community.

🎥 Watch Ashani's story → https://youtu.be/cfASwwRAOTE?si=-YvE5xYjQ5HAyQm5

Calling all educators!

Want to bring storytelling into your classroom in a whole new way? Join us for Participatory Media In The Classroom, an online workshop designed for 6th–12th-grade teachers.

Over five hands-on sessions, you'll explore how digital storytelling can spark critical thinking, deepen student engagement, and build real media literacy skills across any subject.

🗓️ July 20–29, 2026 | Online | $595
⏰ 9 AM PT / Noon ET | M/W/F and M/W

Limited to 24 participants — register before it fills up!
👉 Register now: https://tinyurl.com/3x25z32y

Wishing a Happy Mother's Day weekend to all the moms who, like Cary Wabanascum Hawpetoss, love and nurture their children, and help them live their own stories.

Watch Cary’s story of motherhood. This story was created in a custom workshop in partnership with researchers affiliated with the Center for the Ethics of Indigenous Genomic Research- CEIGR.

https://youtu.be/8OteQrnoUE8