Storytelling
Through the use of storytelling, our work has explored the lived experiences of urban adolescents who are often underrepresented and misrepresented in mainstream media. We focus on adolescents’ experiences, foster media making, promote well-rounded narratives about the lives of young people, and bridge stories and scholarship.
Sample Storytelling Projects
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Frankly. Podcast
To expand on the issues presented in the Adolescent X study, we are partnering with young people in Chicago to launch the Frankly. podcast. Young people share their experiences of the structural and systemic barriers that impact their health and well-being while living on the South and West Sides.
Adolescent X
Adolescent X is a study exploring the messages and interactions that shape adolescent perspectives on body image, identity, and sexuality. The study focused on body mapping, a visual arts-based research tool that focuses on embodied experience and affords an exploration of the body and related feelings.
Speculative World Building: 2222: to the power
2222: to the power is a speculative design project that demonstrates the vision of a joy-centered future. Participants explored complex social scientific theories such as collective imagination, cypher-based storytelling, homonormativity, cultural hegemony, collective imagination, queer theory, and Afrofuturism to create an “artifact” from the future.
VIEW THE PUBLICATION >
View the toolkit >
One Day at a Time
Ci3 developed an educational animation awareness initiative titled “One Day at a Time” to inform young people about the essential role they play in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Kissa Kahani
Kissa Kahani was a multi-year project in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India that aimed to understand the role of gender in adolescent reproductive health. The project sought to promote reproductive health and family planning through elevating the value of education and financial autonomy for girls.
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South Side Stories
South Side Stories is a storytelling project that harnesses the power of narrative to raise the voices of young African Americans—male, female, and sexual minority—living on Chicago’s South Side. Watch their stories to learn about their personal experiences.