Storytelling

Ready to share your story or have questions? Let us know!

Why Stories?

• Stories are powerful; they make facts memorable
• Stories help serve as a bridge in connecting us to one another, allowing those who have not had similar experiences to better empathize with the situation
• Stories not only trigger emotions, but also inspire action for change, including policy and attitudinal change on immigration

How to Tell Stories?

There's no one right way to tell your story, but we've found these guiding questions helpful for structuring our storytelling*:

1. Where are you from? What brought you and/or your family to America?
2. What was it like moving here? What challenges did you and your family face as newcomers?
3. As a Dreamer, when did you find out about your undocumented status? How did that discovery or knowledge make you feel?
   • What additional challenges did you face as an immigrant without documentation?
4. How have you seen the Church/your community support you, if at all?
5. Did your immigrant experiences impact your faith (and vice versa)? If so, how?
6. Is the cancellation of DACA affecting you/will it affect you or your loved ones? If so, how?
7. Are there any changes in the immigration world (e.g., policy/legislation and attitudes) that you hope to see? Do you hope to see the Church respond on immigration? If so, how?

*Questions designed for Dreamers sharing in the context of a faith community, but can be modified/contextualized for other users/settings.

Other Tips

Sharing your story takes courage and vulnerability. It is not easy, but it is important for immigrants to have our voices and experiences heard in the ongoing discussion on immigration—to humanize an issue that's too often been politicized or talked about in abstract terms.

Sharing your story doesn't have to be intimidating. Here are a few tips:

• Write it down: helps to focus the story and make it more coherent
• Be creative: choose a storytelling format that you are most comfortable with (e.g., interview, spoken word, video, etc.)
• Share ideas: refer to examples of other stories/storytellers
• Practice telling (and listening): it gets easier each time. And you might just find sharing your story an empowering experience