From - California Listens StoryFaire “These Hands Workshop”
These hands have held___________________________(something delicate), and lifted ________________________ (something heavy) and _______________________ (something precious). They have reached down into the earth of _________________________ (a place) feeling __________________________ (a natural item or sensory detail), and the __________________________ (a natural item or sensory detail). They have worked side by side with __________________________ (name of an elder, mentor, or family member), and (another person), as we _______________________ (a traditional or routine task for your family or you personally) and __________________________ (another routine or tradition). They hold _____________________________________(a value or lesson) and ______________________________(another value or lesson). These hands taught me ____________________________________________ (something you have discovered about resilience or endurance). These hands hold stories. These hands are mine. What Happens
Participants use the “These Hands” template writing sheet and take 8 to 10 minutes to fill it out. Next, they are asked to take out an object or artifact that has meaning to them. (This can be a spontaneous choice of something they carry with them every day--such as a key or photo, or it could be an object they shared during a StoryCircle session.) The object does not need to be directly related to their poem. Working in groups of four, participants read their short poems aloud then take turns photographing one another’s hands holding their object. In smaller groups, everyone then shares to the larger group and the sharing is recorded. In groups of more than 10, one person from each group is invited to share their poem with the larger group. All the photographers/smartphone users then email the images to the facilitator to create an image montage of the hands to go with audio recordings. (This montage is displayed later in the day or after Post-Production.) Audience General audience. The prompt can be adjusted to various language groups. Note: Not everyone has a smartphone, but these days in most communities, one in four people do; this activity is organized to take advantage of the broad use of phones with good cameras. Activity Agenda
Introduction of Concept 5 minutes
Writing 10 minutes
Small Group Sharing and Photography 10 minutes
Large Group Sharing 30 minutes
Emailing Images 5 minutes
Facilitation Approach
Most of the support by the facilitator is in assisting with the photographic process. In smaller groups, the facilitator could act as both photographer and audio recording person. In larger groups, the facilitator would move around the room to each group of four, recording the one participant that chooses to share.
Outcome/Publication
The images and recordings could be shared just with participants, or become part of a montage of images (see Appendix X for an example) that is shared or published online. Creating an audio file with the image for every participant would involve approximately 10 minutes per participant to complete.
