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Digital Storytelling
STORIES OF [BE]LONGING
DIGITAL STORYTELLING
Stories of [Be]Longing is a digital storytelling project that works with youth in and from the child welfare system to share their experiences via short films.
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The filmmakers, aged 12-30, create three-minute films about their experiences in foster care or with their birth families, with customary care, adoption, kinship care, or aging out of care.
What is Digital Storytelling
People have always told stories - to entertain, to teach, to persuade and to record history. First Nations people have a long tradition of using stories to teach and to pass down knowledge. Digital storytelling is just a modern form of this age-old practice, using computer-based tools to tell multimedia stories. We work with a combination of photographs and video, music, recorded voices, and/or animation to help participants at our workshops make short films about some aspect of their lives as they relate to the child welfare system and the importance of having permanent (forever) families.
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Digital storytelling combines the oral tradition of storytelling with the visual and sound capabilities of digital media.
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In adoption and child welfare practices, digital storytelling is a particularly good tool because it is creative, accessible, and fun. You can use digital storytelling with all age groups. We primarily work with youth and young adults from 12 to 30, but we're also beginning to work with adoptive parents and social workers. Creating digital stories engages and builds an emotional connection with youth and with the audiences to whom they show the films. For the youth, it's also a healing process. Everyone who makes a story gets a copy of it and can share it as they choose.
Why are these Digital
Stories Important?
Digital storytelling is a form of narrative therapy that helps participants build meaningful connections with each other during the creative process and with audiences when sharing their stories. By combining storytelling with visual and audio elements, this approach uses the power of the arts to support emotional expression and overall wellness.
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Led by youth themselves, the project allows participants to develop practical skills in recording, writing, editing, and presenting their work. At the same time, they build confidence, emotional awareness, and advocacy skills. Participants have full control over their stories, including whether they are shared publicly, who they are shared with, and how they are used. Many youth choose to share their stories to raise awareness and advocate for change within the child welfare system.
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Through these workshops, children and youth create digital stories that reflect their experiences, including their need for belonging, the importance of permanency, and what it means to grow up in the child welfare system. In doing so, they also use personal storytelling as a way to explore identity, strengthen self-expression, and promote social inclusion.
Videos
Documentary in Partnership with Youth in and from the child welfare system, Heart Lab and CYPCC
ACC SASK YSO - WE KNOW
My Popcorn Life - Andrew's Digital Story