We are delighted to share with you two free training opportunities coming up in November!
For almost a decade, West Marin Fund has offered trainings on topics of interest to nonprofits serving West Marin. This year, we are pleased to announce two online workshops on storytelling for change facilitated by Luis Ortega.
Change starts with your story. Stories can build an empathetic, inclusive, and equitable world. A clear, engaging story that evokes empathy can be a compelling call to action and/or ask. Participants should come prepared to engage in group discussions, hands-on activities, and collaborative exercises. Participants will also receive an Expert Guide to Narrating Impact, which includes worksheets and detailed descriptions of all the concepts covered during the workshop.
Luis Ortega is a multidisciplinary storyteller, facilitator, narrative strategist, and the founder and director at Storytellers for Change. Over the last 16 years, Luis has worked with numerous organizations to help them harness the power of narrative. His work focuses on asset-based storytelling, racial equity, narrative change, culturally responsive education, and leadership and organizational development.
Workshop 1 – Overview
Crafting Your Impact Story
In this workshop, we’ll introduce participants to a practical storytelling framework for narrating and illustrating impact effectively. Our framework will help participants understand how to develop compelling narratives for their specific audiences, craft an effective story arc, and the importance of ethical and asset-based storytelling.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Use a flexible and impactful narrative framework to develop stories that illustrate the impact of their organizations.
- Understand the concept of a story arc, visualizing a journey from an initial point through rising action, a turning point, and concluding with falling action and resolution, is essential to narrate impact effectively.
- Articulate best practices for integrating relevant quantitative and qualitative data to illustrate impact and lend authenticity to their narratives.
- Understand the foundations of asset-based and ethical storytelling.
Workshop 2 – Overview
Asset-Based Storytelling
Asset-based storytelling is the practice of examining, crafting, and sharing stories by centering individuals’ and communities’ strengths, resilience, assets, and lived experiences. However, all too often, storytelling in the social sector focuses on deficits rather than assets. This workshop aims to shift the narrative towards a strengths-based and equity-centered approach by inviting participants to learn about asset-based storytelling techniques and best practices. During this interactive workshop, participants will learn about the essential elements of asset-based and deficit-based stories, examine a case study, and explore how to incorporate asset-based approaches within their storytelling and communications strategies.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Recognize and describe key elements of asset-based and deficit-based storytelling
- Use Storytellers for Change’s asset-based storytelling framework to craft a story
- Identify action steps to incorporate asset-based approaches within their storytelling and communications work
About the Presenter
Luis Ortega is the founder and director at Storytellers for Change. His work, writing, and projects have been featured at the Harvard DACA Seminar, HBO’s “Where Do You Exist?” podcast, the Kauffman Foundation’s Disruptor Speaker Series, the Seattle Design Festival, the People’s Practice, Philanthropy Northwest, and the Gates Foundation Discovery Center. Luis is a W K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network Fellow, the Co-Director of La Cima Bilingual Leadership Camp, and the co-founder of the Expresión Storytelling Fellowship at the Latinx Education Collaborative.
Luis has a BA in Political Science from the University of Washington and a Master’s in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Luis was born and raised in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) and now lives in the unceded and ancestral lands of the Duwamish and Coast Salish people (Seattle).
We hope to see you there!
