21 Activity 5.3 – Environmental Justice Storytelling DIY

Targeted Skills:

Communication, Creativity

Directions: 

Not quite sure how to get started developing your story of environmental harm and/or advocacy? Here are some prompts to help get you started!

Step 1:

Warm up: When has a story moved you to take action? What is something from that story that you could use in your own storytelling?

Step 2:

1. Think of a place that has been significant to your experience of environmental damage or environmental advocacy.
2. What is your experience with environmental damage or environmental advocacy in this place?
3. Through this experience, what changed – about you? about the place? about others?
4. What other changes related to this experience would you like to see?

Step 3:

• Building on your responses to the questions from step 2, tell your story using words and/or images. Make a collage, take a photo, draw a sketch, write a narrative, record a video…. Choose the format that works best for you.

Step 4: 

• Share your work! Your story can contribute to a record of diverse experiences of environmental harm and advocacy. It can spark conversations about how to create change and inspire others to take action. Here are some ideas for how to share your story:
  • Show it to friends and family to start a conversation about their experiences.
  • If you’re working in a group, present your stories in an informal gallery of words and/or images.
  • If you have access to an online site such as a webpage or social media, consider posting and inviting comments.
  • Send it to your government representatives to help them understand their constituents’ experiences.
  • Reach out to a journalist or local advocacy group who might want to gather and activate more stories.