How Stories Work, and How They Are Working on You
Stories are so super powerful that people have been telling me my whole life that they don’t mean anything. Stories won’t earn you money (but they have). You can’t eat stories, but we all do, from our recipes to what we tell ourselves about how, where, and what to eat. Story is the oldest way we have to make sense of events. Story is the form that each and every one of us uses to record every important thing in our lives. Stories are how we get to know each other. Stories have powered every great act of resistance for justice. They are the power behind all our rights, and all the power we willingly give away.
We don’t develop the stories of our lives in a vacuum. Instead, our whole world is made up of personal and social narratives that we have been told, been taught, read, seen, and lived. Some are very old and shared. Some are newly created as we experience new things. We weave all these together to make up “my story.” We use this story, “my story,” constantly, in every interaction — when we meet someone new, when we consider options or opportunities, when we teach our children, when we fall in love. Our stories color all that we think is and isn’t possible for us, for others, and for our world.
Invite me for a to join your group for this amazing storytelling workshop! It will be amazing because of your story, and your friends’ stories. They will shock, teach, and amaze you. We will explore the stories you have been telling – working alone and together to articulate them, and consider their meanings. We explore the role our stories play in shaping our personal lives, as well as our communities. From there, we will look at ways that telling our story can empower us to heal, grow, and change our communities for the better – whatever that means to us. Participants will come out of the day with a good idea of the stories they have been telling, and with a concrete plan for how their stories can be put to good use in creating positive change. Somebody always cries.
Telling Stories with Children
Why do kids quiet down for story time the world over? Because kids know: All the important stuff is in the stories. Where do we come from? Why are we here? What should I do? What’s good? Who is the bad man, who is the good man? What’s funny? Why don’t we talk about that? In this break out session, we will explore telling stories with kids – your kids, your grandkids, other kids you care for. Julia will share some of the most fun and meaningful stories and activities she’s done with kids over the years in workshops and classrooms, focusing on a few key themes – seasons, archetypes and science. Kids want the good stuff, and they like it a lot when stories, activities, and real happenings in the world are woven together. This two hour class is packed full of amazing stories and activities to share with the kids in your world, and loads of activities to think about the stories you are already telling the kids around you everyday.
For either class, write to julia@folklala.com. For professional development classes that use these themes in the classroom, for college credit, or business innovation and insight, go to ArchetypeLearning.com.
