{"602278":{"#nid":"602278","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Campus Community Members Encouraged to Share Their Stories Through the Transformative Narratives Initiative","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;No doubt about it, the best speakers are good storytellers. The best writers are good storytellers. The best\u0026nbsp;leaders\u0026nbsp;are good storytellers. The best teachers, trainers, and coaches are good storytellers.\u0026nbsp;It might even be argued that the best parents are good storytellers,\u0026rdquo; wrote Rodger Dean Duncan in January 2014 in \u003Cem\u003EForbes\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEarlier this month, Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement (SDIE) hosted the inaugural \u003Cem\u003ETransformative Narratives \u003C\/em\u003EStorytelling Crawl, an immersive, six-event series featuring 51 stories, four poems, and two monologues from 26 national, local, and Georgia Tech storytellers and six musicians over two days.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;\u003Cem\u003ETransformative Narratives \u003C\/em\u003Ewas launched as a major storytelling initiative at Georgia Tech because we want to be among the best at modeling and achieving inclusive excellence,\u0026rdquo; said Cheryl D. Cofield, director of inclusion and engagement and curator of the initiative. \u0026ldquo;The reciprocal relationship between storytellers and story listeners sparks connection among people and the opportunity for \u0026lsquo;being with\u0026rsquo; and understanding others.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe storytelling crawl elicited strong reactions from attendees. \u0026ldquo;It was cathartic to hear the stories of pain, hope, and triumph from my colleagues and invited guests. While we may be in a different time, stage, or season in life, we can all persevere and help one another grow by taking the time to listen and truly care about what others have experienced,\u0026rdquo; remarked Laura Pusateri, assistant director of Institute special events and protocol for Institute Communications.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAisha Oliver-Staley, executive director for Affiliated Organizations, found it an enriching experience. \u0026ldquo;I left inspired by stories of lived experiences that connect all of us beyond our identifiable differences.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough the \u003Cem\u003ETransformative Narratives \u003C\/em\u003Einitiative, SDIE has curated 24 artistically embellished photographic portraits as a traveling exhibit, currently hosted by the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business, and 17 audio recordings that capture the rich diversity of the campus community. The curated sets of photographic portraits and audio recordings are maintained in the growing digital story library.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENow, SDIE is seeking stories from faculty, staff, and students as part of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/sdie.gatech.edu\/programs-and-initiatives\/engagement\/transformative-narratives\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ETransformative Narratives\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, which is endorsed by the Strategic Plan Advisory Group. Submitted stories may be selected to become part of the Institute\u0026rsquo;s digital story library and showcased in a future exhibit. To participate, campus community members can submit 55-word story summaries at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.sdie.gatech.edu\/share-your-story\u0022\u003Ewww.sdie.gatech.edu\/share-your-story\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The initiative aligns well with growing the capacity of our faculty, staff, and students to increase their intercultural competence and interpersonal savvy through the sharing of their identities, experiences, and perspectives,\u0026rdquo; Cofield noted.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPearl Alexander, executive director for diversity, inclusion, and engagement and co-producer of \u003Cem\u003ETransformative Narratives\u003C\/em\u003E, credits Cofield\u0026rsquo;s leadership as well as input from the steering committee with the initiative\u0026rsquo;s success to date. \u0026ldquo;We are creating the spaces and means for our campus community to excavate and express their personal stories,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m extremely proud of Cheryl\u0026rsquo;s vision, the work of the committee, and the sponsorship that we\u0026rsquo;ve been afforded to make this initiative happen.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EVisit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.sdie.gatech.edu\/transformative-narratives\u0022\u003Ewww.sdie.gatech.edu\/transformative-narratives\u003C\/a\u003E to learn more, share your story, or register to attend an upcoming storytelling workshop.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement Recently Hosted the Transformative Narratives Storytelling Crawl "}],"field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Institute Diversity\u2019s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement is seeking stories from faculty, staff, and students as part of the Transformative Narratives initiative, which is endorsed by the Strategic Plan Advisory Group. "}],"uid":"27465","created_gmt":"2018-02-12 21:55:45","changed_gmt":"2018-02-13 17:34:18","author":"Annette Filliat","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-02-13T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2018-02-13T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"602279":{"id":"602279","type":"image","title":"Transformative Narratives Storytelling Crawl ","body":null,"created":"1518473257","gmt_created":"2018-02-12 22:07:37","changed":"1518543221","gmt_changed":"2018-02-13 17:33:41","alt":"Transformative Narratives Storytelling Crawl ","file":{"fid":"229544","name":"SDIE Transformative Narratives Storytelling Crawl 4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/SDIE%20Transformative%20Narratives%20Storytelling%20Crawl%204.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/SDIE%20Transformative%20Narratives%20Storytelling%20Crawl%204.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":354847,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/SDIE%20Transformative%20Narratives%20Storytelling%20Crawl%204.jpg?itok=UHZB8p9m"}},"602280":{"id":"602280","type":"image","title":"African Heritage Storytelling Concert and Experience","body":null,"created":"1518473617","gmt_created":"2018-02-12 22:13:37","changed":"1518473617","gmt_changed":"2018-02-12 22:13:37","alt":"African Heritage Storytelling Concert and Experience","file":{"fid":"229545","name":"SDIE Transformative Narratives Storytelling Crawl 5.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/SDIE%20Transformative%20Narratives%20Storytelling%20Crawl%205.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/SDIE%20Transformative%20Narratives%20Storytelling%20Crawl%205.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":556090,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/SDIE%20Transformative%20Narratives%20Storytelling%20Crawl%205.jpg?itok=z4KuccI3"}},"602281":{"id":"602281","type":"image","title":"Transformative Narratives Traveling Exhibit ","body":null,"created":"1518473793","gmt_created":"2018-02-12 22:16:33","changed":"1518473793","gmt_changed":"2018-02-12 22:16:33","alt":"Transformative Narratives Traveling Exhibit ","file":{"fid":"229546","name":"SDIE Transformative Narratives Storytelling Crawl 8.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/SDIE%20Transformative%20Narratives%20Storytelling%20Crawl%208.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/SDIE%20Transformative%20Narratives%20Storytelling%20Crawl%208.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":370636,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/SDIE%20Transformative%20Narratives%20Storytelling%20Crawl%208.jpg?itok=gnP5m3nH"}}},"media_ids":["602279","602280","602281"],"groups":[{"id":"1182","name":"General"},{"id":"1313","name":"Institute Diversity"},{"id":"535141","name":"Staff Diversity"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"175325","name":"Transformative Narratives"},{"id":"9171","name":"institute diversity"},{"id":"168131","name":"SDIE"},{"id":"168031","name":"SPAG"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnnette Filliat\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Diversity\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003Eannette.filliat@gatech.edu\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["annette.filliat@gatech.edu "],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}