275 MacLaren Street, Ottawa, ON K2P 0L9
Women’s Narratives from the St. John’s Native Friendship Centre: Using Digital Storytelling to Inform Community-based Healing and Violence Prevention
Research Start-up Summary and Abstract:
The St. John’s Native Friendship Centre (SJNFC) has designed violence prevention initiatives aimed to provide services that empower women through mentorship, education, and culturally rich experiences. This project aims to understand the meaning of violence for women who use programs and services at the SJNFC. Using Digital Storytelling, this research will collect women’s narratives in the context of their life story. This will be supplemented by open-ended interviews.
There are two components to this research project:
Part 1: Digital Storytelling:
• This is the development of personal stories through the art form of film using music, artwork, photographs, audio/video clips, and text.
• Short films, ranging from 2-4 minutes will be created naturally through a 3-day workshop.
• The process involves sharing circles, including reading stories aloud to one another, to share and receive advice. This project will allow for the celebration of women by honoring and respecting their lived experiences.
Part 2: Open-Ended Interviews:
• Interviews will be informal, conversation-style, and open-ended.
• Interviews will take place within 1 month of the Digital Storytelling workshop post-production.
• The goals of the interviews are to elicit opinions and feelings regarding the phenomenon of violence and abuse, as well as their history with the SJNFC programs and activities.
Note:
To view the digital stories associated with this project, please contact Breannah Tulk, Director of Business Operations, First Light Friendship Centre, St. John’s, NL ([email protected]), who will contact the project’s participants on a case-by-case basis.