unleashing the power of stories
IN lifelong communities
unleashing the power of stories
IN lifelong communities
Courtesy of Anna Guest, Founder and CEO, Rising Tide Volunteer Solutions
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IN lifelong communities
"People forget facts, but they remember stories," Joseph Campbell wisely noted. This rings especially true in the realm of age-friendly initiatives, where the art of storytelling can breathe life into your work, fostering inspiration and unity.
Jean Saunders, Executive Director of Age Friendly Saco, shares a valuable practice her team employs. At the outset of each meeting, they create a space for sharing stories, and according to Jean, "There's always a story to share." While folks attending these meetings run a variety of different programs, this ritual weaves a tapestry of belonging, teamwork, and shared accomplishment. Whether at meetings, celebrations, or events, storytelling is a powerful tool for building community, sparking inspiration, and aligning people with your lifelong community’s vision and purpose.
Using Stories to Amplify Impact
Stories aren't just anecdotes; they are potent tools for advocacy, community awareness, and volunteer recruitment. Sharing stories helps us appeal to funders and decision-makers, illustrating the important and often life-changing impact of age-friendly initiatives. Stories can be shared in a variety of venues: social media, newsletters, newspaper articles, and town meetings. But they can also be a powerful tool for attracting potential volunteers, connecting personally with people’s passion and need for purpose.
Crafting Your Narrative
You don't need to be a born storyteller to inspire others. Reflecting on your own reasons for getting involved in lifelong community work can help you explore how your own story could help you connect with others in your community and encourage your team members to share as well.
What is your personal story?
What inspires your involvement in lifelong community work?
What does being part of your lifelong community mean to you?
Which parts of your story can resonate with others?
Harvesting Tales of Inspiration
There are many ways to gather and record stories. Here are some suggestions for your lifelong community to consider:
Invite current volunteers and team members to share their stories
Conduct storytelling sessions during large group meetings
Foster one-on-one storytelling sessions in pairs
Encourage written testimonials in a story format
Solicit story submissions via email or video
Seek narratives from clients, families, or community members
Collaborate with partner organizations for joint storytelling endeavors
Explore partnership opportunities with local high schools or colleges to engage students in projects to capture stories of your lifelong community
Communities can harness the power of stories, bringing age-friendly initiative impact to life and building a community bound together by shared stories, shaping a compelling narrative of positive change.
Further Resource from Anna:
We are deeply grateful to Anna Guest and Rising Tides Volunteer Solutions for working with Lifelong Maine to develop these training materials. Special thanks to Sharon Kelley, Berwick for a Lifetime, Candy Eaton, Age-Friendly Sullivan, and Jean Saunders, Age-Friendly Saco, for meeting with Anna to share their wisdom, experiences and challenges working with volunteers
We also want to thank AARP Maine for their thought leadership designing these modules.
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