Dignified Storytelling Technical Sessions

Six technical sessions took place between 10:00 and 13:00 preceding the Dignified Storytelling Forum’s main afternoon program. These 1-hour technical sessions were co-curated with key partners of Dignified Storytelling and represented a combination of workshops, talks, and discussions. 

Format: Hybrid (in-person and virtual)
Attendance: Open to the public. Free registration with Expo2020 Dubai day pass

Registrations to these technical sessions are now closed.

Putting Dignified Storytelling into Action: Challenges, Community and Solutions

Date: 10 December 2021  Time: 10:00 – 11:00 

Venue: Meeting Room 1 North, Dubai Exhibition Centre – Expo 2020 Dubai

While it is easy to agree with the principles of Dignified Storytelling, putting these principles into practice presents a wide range of challenges. This interactive workshop, hosted by Michael Kass, Story & Spirit, gave storytellers from all fields and industries the opportunity to explore some of these challenges and build strategies to navigate them in their own work. Having the opportunity to do some scenario planning in collaboration with others in the field helped facilitate real-world adoption of Dignified Storytelling practices.

Dignity at the Heart of Storytelling

Date: 10 December 2021  Time: 10:00 – 11:00 

Venue: Suite 1 North, Dubai Exhibition Centre – Expo 2020 Dubai

This interactive talk with Matthias Bosch from Global Dignity sharpened an understanding of what dignity is and how, every time humans interact, dignity is at play. This understanding is, in turn, crucial to helping us understand the concept of humanity and its value for any society. Teaching the concept of dignity through storytelling is essential since authentic human stories are powerful and help us to identify ourselves within our society, gender, ethnic roots, and culture – and to understand those who come from other backgrounds and cultures.

Building Capacity so that our Stories Reflect our Principles

Date: 10 December 2021  Time: 11:00 – 12:00 

Venue: Meeting Room 1 North, Dubai Exhibition Centre – Expo 2020 Dubai

How can communicators ensure that the Dignified Storytelling Principles are reflected throughout the process of content curation? This workshop, hosted by Jess Castelyn from Global TIES for Children – NYU Abu Dhabi, focused on capacity building, knowledge sharing, and stakeholder advocacy.

Throughout the storytelling process there are multiple lenses through which the stories we conceptualize are filtered before the final product is produced, polished, and disseminated. It is imperative not only that we hold ourselves accountable to these principles but that we build capacity in and/or hire vendors from diverse backgrounds who put these into practice or have a deep understanding of these principles.

This highly interactive and practical technical session provided concrete examples on how to advocate for the Principles of Dignified Storytelling while, at the same time, building the capacity of various stakeholders in this process. 

The Role of Media in Advancing Dignified Storytelling for a Better World

Date: 10 December 2021  Time: 11:00 – 12:00 

Venue: Suite 1 North, Dubai Exhibition Centre – Expo 2020 Dubai

In this fireside chat hosted by Noha Hefny from People of Impact, two TED-X speakers and prominent figures in the media sector explored the power of storytelling to drive positive impact and to inspire positive action for a more balanced and sustainable future, shedding light on how we can each in our own individual capacities and roles contribute to co-creating a better world.

Maya Hojeij is a gender equality champion and media broadcaster from Bloomberg Al Sharq, and Mariam Farag is CEO of Humanizing Brands. She is also a humanitarian and an international development expert with a focus on media for impact. Maya and Mariam’s conversation touched upon how to further activate the role of the media, including individuals working in the sector and beyond to advance dignified storytelling, and the importance of building a mindset of responsibility and accountability within the media industry.

Inclusion in Action: A Storytelling Workshop for Students, Storytellers, and Filmmakers

Date: 10 December 2021  Time: 12:00 – 15:00

Venue: Meeting Room 1 North, Dubai Exhibition Centre – Expo 2020 Dubai

Inclusion in Action (IIA) was a unique training workshop hosted by Australia Pavilion facilitated by Tracey Corbin-Matchett and Paul Nunnari (Bus Stop Films) for filmmakers, writers, directors and producers focused on how filmmaking can open pathways to employment and improve the engagement of people living with disability on both sides of the camera.

It equipped participants with skills to more confidently employ, work alongside and
collaborate with people living with disability.

Stories in the Making: Promoting Youth-Led Storytelling for Social Change

Date: 10 December 2021  Time: 12:00 – 13:00 

Venue: Suite 1 North, Dubai Exhibition Centre – Expo 2020 Dubai

This panel discussion hosted by Daniela Martinez Moreno from Global Fund for Children provided an opportunity to share innovations and best practices in youth-led storytelling processes from communities around the world. Through storytelling, youth are challenging outdated narratives, generating new forms of expression, finding new answers to old questions, and building new tools for change. Youth-led storytelling is not only a way to “document” or share their reality, but also a way to transform it.