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At the Civic Life Project, we believe storytelling can serve as a unifying force.
As our country continues to be torn by ideological differences, social divides, and political polarization, the concept of unity often appears elusive. By harnessing the power of storytelling, we can foster understanding and empathy and build bridges through civil dialogue, ultimately cultivating deeper civic engagement.
This back-to-school season, we have been thinking a lot about the importance of providing space and forums for young people to engage meaningfully in civic discussions. Historically, civic education has revolved around rote memorization of laws and governmental structures.
But we know must go further to enrich civic learning. That’s where storytelling comes in.
Storytelling has a unique power to forge connections that factual arguments often cannot. Stories make abstract issues tangible, humanize statistical data, and imbue civic topics with emotional resonance. For instance, instead of presenting dry facts about the achievement gap in education, a student might tell a story about a classmate who struggles to afford school supplies, thereby putting a human face on an impersonal issue.
As we kick off another school year, we are thrilled to work with educators nationwide to bring the profound power of storytelling into their classrooms by implementing our new digital storytelling curriculum, Democracy in Action (more on that below!).
We hope that you will join us, whether in a classroom or in your personal life, in harnessing storytelling as a tool to build bridges and a stronger democracy.
Sincerely,
Catherine Tatge and Dominique Lasseur
Co-Founders, Civic Life Project
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