January 2025 CLDST Newsletter
Welcome to the first of a series of monthly newsletters from Common Language Digital Storytelling. If you are a Health and Wellness Changemaker, this read is for you!
Common Language Digital Storytelling, (CLDST), runs storytelling facilitator training workshops around the world and each month, we gather as facilitators to learn and collaborate around a diverse breadth of story centric projects happening across the globe.
With this monthly newsletter, we will bring some of that energy to you! By featuring innovative digital storytelling projects, knowledge that can support your work, and events that will help you stay connected to the CLDST Community. This newsletter is impact in your inbox.
IN THIS ISSUE
Feature Digital Story- “Not Just A Sibling” the experience of a young caregiver, commissioned by the Sibling Youth Advisory Council.
Impact- New research paper by Dr. Mike Lang, “Pressure: How to meaningfully engage with patient stories.”
Podcast - Co-Created Episode 17, a conversation with Dr. Mike Lang about transforming passive listening into active learning.
CLDST Story Slam - Join us for the first ever Common Language Digital Story Festival!
Thanks for being here.
Krystle Schofield, CLDST Level 2 Facilitator
FEATURE DIGITAL STORY
“Not Just A Sibling”, Samantha’s Story
In our first feature digital story, Samantha shares her experience of growing up as a big sister and young caregiver to her brother who was born with CDLK5. This digital story was commissioned by the Sibling Youth Advisory Council (SibYAC) and Dr. Linda Nguyen.
By telling her story, Samantha shares intimate insight into her lived experience with her brother, and contributes to an ongoing series of resources and stories being developed to engage, support and educate siblings living with medically complex individuals and the healthcare professionals who support them.
IMPACT
Research, innovations and the impact of digital storytelling.
New Resource For Healthcare Professionals
A new research paper, “Pressure: How to meaningfully engage with patient stories”, by Dr. Mike Lang and cancer survivor Vikram Bubber, provides practical tools for engaging in patient stories with the goal of moving us beyond story consumption and towards thoughtful reflection, conversation and new wisdom.
“Despite the inherent, and increasingly recognized, value of incorporating patient stories into these contexts, less attention has been given to providing healthcare providers the concepts and tools to help them engage with the stories of patients and their family caregivers in a way that maximizes potential benefits. This commentary is meant to help fill this gap…” [Read]
PODCAST
Do you know about Co-Created? A podcast that takes you behind the scenes of digital storytelling in health and wellness.
Join host and CLDST facilitator Kristy Wolfe for Co-Created as she dives into how stories are created, who shares them, and why they matter.
Tune into Episode 17, “How to Meaningfully Engage with Patient Stories”, a conversation with Dr. Mike Lang about transforming passive listening into active learning.
CLDST COMMUNITY EVENTS
COMMON LANGUAGE STORY SLAM Sunday March 2nd, 9:30am-7pm MST. Online or in-person, (Calgary). Our first CLDST Film Festival dedicated to meaningful storytelling and engaging conversations with 12 Canadian charities. [Buy Ticket]
BC COMPLEX KIDS SCREENING January 30th, 7:30pm-9pm PST, free/online. A free evening of digital stories, conversation and community with stories from parents raising medically complex children. [Register]
KITCHEN TABLE NIGHTS March 21st, 6pm MST, free/online. Gather around the virtual kitchen table for a showcase of CLDST facilitated digital stories, group discussions and interviews with the storytellers. [Register]
CALLOUTS
CLDST LEVEL 1 FACILITATOR TRAINING SESSION Foundations course in digital storytelling facilitation. Starts January 23rd for eight-weeks.[Register]
INTRO TO DIGITAL STORYTELLING FOR CONGENITAL HEART FAMILIES, Jan 21st, 6:00-7:30pm MST, free/online. Kristy Wolfe Stories and the Western Canadian Children’s Heart Network are looking for a Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) family to create a digital story about neurodevelopment. [Register For Info Session]
PAID MEMBERS
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE January 14th, 9am-10:30am MST, online. A quarterly gathering of digital storytelling facilitators across the globe. [Contact For Schedule]
MENTORSHIP MEETING January 23rd, 11am-12:30am MST, online. A monthly gathering of CLDST facilitator to connect, collaborate and share best practices. [Contact For Schedule]
COFFEE CHATS January 23rd + 28th, various time, online. Need to talk something through? Bring your questions and ideas to Dr. Mike Lang for this open discussion time. [Book]
ENTREPRENEURSHIP GATHERING February 6th, 10am-11am MST, online. A quarterly gathering of CLDST entrepreneurs in storytelling. [Contact For Schedule]
WINTER CONTINUING EDUCATION SESSION February 20th, 11am-12:30am MST, online. AI in Digital Storytelling [Contact For Schedule]
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