If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.
Get to the table by engaging others to your side with story-telling. Young activists excel at crafting stories to influence their communities.
This blog showcases six online stories from students at Hunter College, NYC after a short training session. Their stories speaks for themselves!
Background
Hannah R. Rosenzweig, is an accomplished film maker and the founder of Intention Media which produces videos and ads on social justice issues. Hannah teaches "Digital Health & Media" at Hunter College. The course introduces students to key technological advances and current use of digital and social media, including mobile technology, as part of broad community-based strategies for communicating about health.
DemLabs recently trained Hannah's class on digital story telling with StoryMaps. This free app combines text, images, videos and maps into compelling stories that are easily shared.
STD Rates are on the rise in NYCEspecially for young black men and women between the ages of 15-24.What is the NYC DOHMH is doing to address this? |
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) are heart related risk factors such as heart attacks. Generally, CVD is a condition which involves a blockage of blood vessels causing heart malfunction like a heart attack or stroke. |
 It's a rising Epidemic. One-third of people who take opioids for chronic pain misuse them, and more than 10% get addicted. |
 A culture of over-prescriptions. The new culture of medicine is overmedicating Americans and changing societal norms. |
 New York City prides itself as a city of innovation and a food hub. Yet for Bronx residents, they are dealing with an age-old problem. What happens when the city that never sleeps cannot feed its residents? |
 Flakka is a relatively new synthetic drug that is gaining increased popularity particularly in Florida, Texas, and Ohio. It is listed as a banned schedule 1 drug by the U.S. DEA. |
Shaping public discourse
Powerful interests control major media outlets, radio stations and rural newspapers. They frame the discussion, promote their point of view and drown out other voices online with bots. They retain control by distracting public attention from pressing issues. How can small grassroots groups compete for attention against such loud voices?
An asymmetric response is needed as the other side has the money. Hundreds of stories told regularly, by trusted in their sources makes a difference. Activists trained on the latest story-telling techniques level the playing field, one community at a time.
Hannah's class shows what's possible with motivated activists, just a little training and free software.
Take away
Campaigns and advocacy groups should use free, innovative apps to create their own social media posts, infographics, Story Maps and videos. DemLabs offers free online training to Democratic groups on these apps. Learn more here.
Deepak
Co-Founder, DemLabs
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