4. Celebrating Stories
Celebrate the Stories That Influence You
​There is no greater power on
this Earth than story.
- Libba Bray
Lesson
Take a moment to think about the stories and people who influence others to think differently or take action in positive ways. Throughout the summer of 2020, Apple TV released a 10-episode documentary series entitled "Dear..." that featured 10 influential people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. The series highlights their personal stories as well as stories of other people who have been influenced by them. This series not only celebrates the stories of those focused in the series but it also emphasizes the power that stories can have on others when creating change.
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Here's a trailer from Apple TV that outlines the nature of this dual storytelling experience:
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Challenge
Using the Apple TV documentary series as a mentor text, challenge yourself to celebrate the influential people in your community and connect with others that want to share in that celebration.
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Step One: Think about and identify the people in your community that would be considered "influencers" - people who have accomplished good and inspire others to do good as well. You can do this by making a two-column list - the name of the person and what this person does/how this person influences others.
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Step Two: Once you've identified your person of interest (narrowing down your list to one person), do some background research on your person. Think about what you know about your chosen person and dissect why you've chosen this person above others. Use accessible resources like general internet searches and have conversations with those who know your person of interest.
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Step Three: Seek out others who have been influenced by your chosen person. Invite them to write a letter or be interviewed/recorded by you to share stories about your chosen person. Collect these stories to share with your chosen person and also as part of your final product.
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Step Four: After collecting some background knowledge and stories from others about your person, begin formulating interview questions for your person of interest that speak directly to the person's story. For example - What does it mean to be that person? How did that person come to be? What influenced this person to take action? What's the origin story of this person? What shared stories can be a part of your interview? Interview ResourcE
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Step Five: Contact and interview your person of interest using the questions developed in Step Four. Ask for permission to record your interview so that you can be an active listener in the moment, review the recording at a later point, and use footage from your interview to pull together with the other stories collected.
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Step Six: Bring together the stories from your person of interest and those who have shared their stories about your chosen person. Publish your work by bringing these ideas together.
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