Public Narrative I: Story of Now - The Fierce Urgency of Now
The Story of Now describes an urgent choice faced by the “us” whom you hope to mobilize to act: a challenging vision of what will happen if it does not act, a hopeful vision of what could be if it does act, and a call to commit to the action required. In this way a story of now makes the bridge from story – why we should act – to strategy – how we can act effectively.
Description
This workshop focuses on learning to articulate the urgent challenge facing your community right now—the bridge between story (why we should act) and strategy (how we can act). You'll practice crafting a Story of Now that presents both the challenging vision of what will happen if we don't act and the hopeful vision of what could be if we do take collective action, culminating in a clear call to commitment and specific action. Through writing and sharing your first draft of a Story of Now and receiving feedback from an experienced coach, you'll develop the skill to confront your audience with real, urgent challenges through vivid stories and images, locate genuine sources of hope in plausible pathways to action, and make specific asks that give people the opportunity to commit to meaningful collective action that matters.
See an example video: James Croft - 6.12 Seconds (2009)
See the Democracy Teams Participant Manual, pages 114-119