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Storytelling in Health Care- Miriam

    One thing that stuck out to me in the reading was how community-based performance was described and how powerful of a tool it can be. I think being able to do work within a community allows the community to thrive and flourish. I see storytelling as a very intimate and personal mode of art or communication. I found it interesting how "the source of community-based performance is not the singular artist but a 'community' constituted by virtue of a shared primary identity based in place, ethnicity, class, race, sexual preference, profession, circumstances, or political orientation"(2, Cruz). I think it is fitting that the artists or artist are only guiding and working closely with the community to create their work. The community is still in control. Something that seemed important was how "community-based performance has become both about building and reflecting community in recognition of the fluidity and multiplicity of identities" (4, Cruz). This relationship between identities and how it plays a role in community-based performance can be seen in this community storytelling project conducted int he UK in response to "the unequal uptake of COVID-19 vaccine amongst ethnic minority communities" as stated by the article "Community Storytelling; Disruptive Thinking on Community Engagement". There was a clear mistrust between these communities and doctors/health officials in general. This mistrust was understandable considering how minorities have often not cared about their health so why would they all of the sudden care now. As the article, "Community Storytelling; Disruptive Thinking on Community Engagement" said, "But we can learn from other disciplines including the arts, where it has been argues that the only way of dealing with historical trauma is to honour its memory, rather than avoiding it." This then led the Grand Challenge of Cultural Understanding to fund a research project to use using digital storytelling to highlight the stories of ethnic minority communities. These digital stories are a short video consisting of a blend of photos, drawings, videos, or animations. There is also "an audio recording of a scripted story told by the participant." This project is incredibly useful because it allows these community members to bring forth how they have been done wrong by the health officials. Linked is the article and a video titled "Digital Divide- Community Storytelling"

Community storytelling: disruptive thinking on community engagement

Digital Divide- Community Storytelling



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