Once upon a time, a long, long, long time ago…
My colleague and I headed for the Wilderness to embark on a new journey. One that I was excited for but nervous at the same time. Our mission-to teach fifteen facilitators working at 7 Passes in Touwsranten, how to tell stories.
Day one went slow and everyone was still nervous and untrustworthy of us and the process. Many thought that storytelling was only for children and had to learn that stories are for everyone. Throughout the week we used various techniques such as 3 truths, the object game and chapters in my book about my life to help participants explore the stories in their life that they wanted to share. As days progressed, participants warmed up to us and started sharing more intimate stories. Stories of hope, pain, humiliation, struggle and victories. The stories told helped inspire, bridge differences and connect us all. The stories shared showed us how similar we are and that often we are not the only ones who experienced struggles.
As a new comer to the project and organisation, I was very scared of what was to come but this week has been so rewarding. Seeing the growth in the participants and how much they transformed was such a wonderful experience. I learned so much about myself too and grew in leaps and bounds with the participants. We ended the journey with a concert, where the participants shared their stories with their community which got held at Touwsranten primary hall. We had 50 community members join us and 7 storytellers sharing their stories. The evening was a great success and everyone attending had a wonderful time full of laughter, some tears and lots of clapping. 7 Passes was a great partner and helped us every step of the way. The facilitators all had a positive and rewarding experience with the project and have asked us to return soon.
This week I saw the power of storytelling. I saw how it had the ability to heal, to build, to release people and to transform people.