After the success of our DIGITIZE Story Gathering Workshop for high school students, EchoX hosted a paid writing opportunity for young adults. The “Story Gathering Sandbox” centered around “own voices” and a central theme of unity and understanding across cultures (and communities). Fellows chose a topic that relates to their ethnic or cultural community.
The Sandbox and Showcase:
The program kicked off with an in-person meeting in Bellevue, WA, where participants met and learned from each other, and went over the basic expectations of the program. After the initial meeting the participants joined in on virtual group meetings and one-on-one sessions with our Communications Director.
The program concluded with an in-person showcase in a Bellevue coffee shop with family, friends, and the general public. The stories were heartfelt, relevant, and eye opening. We had walk-in audience members that wanted to learn more about EchoX and to speak with the presenters about their stories.
2023 Story Gathering Sandbox Pieces:
Voices of Latin America: An Indigenous PhD Student’s Perspective with ISLA by Elizabeth
A Re-memory of Central Asia’s Soviet Apartments: Exploring the Legacies of Colonial City Landscapes by Fotima
Somali Girls Club is Just Getting Started by Jehan
Unweaving the Tapestry of Identity: A Tibetan-American on “Being Yourself” by Zenden
2024 Details:
The program will start with three in-person sessions held in Bellevue, WA. Participants will hone a variety of skills that will help them in the creation of their final piece. Sessions will cover topics such as media and language, understanding audiences, and trust in media. In the third week, small group and one-on-one virtual sessions will begin. Students will have four weeks to attend small group work sessions and schedule the required three one-on-ones where they will workshop their pieces with the instructor.
The program concludes with an in-person showcase held in Bellevue, WA, where participants will be able to present their piece to the public. Friends and family are more than welcome to join! Part of the showcase will include a participant panel where they will be able to answer audience questions, moderated by EchoX staff. After the closing showcase, participants who have participated in all required sessions, submitted a completed piece ready for publication, and completed an exist survey will receive a certificate of completion and a stipend for their work.
All completed pieces will be published on Voices, EchoX’s news and features feed. Each piece will also be rotated through the EchoX homepage as a feature based on a schedule picked by the students.
REQUIREMENTS
Over the course of nine weeks, students will:
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- Attend all in-person big group meetings (1.5 hours/each),
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- Attend all virtual small group meetings (1 hour/each),
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- Schedule and attend a minimum of three virtual 1:1s with the instructor (1 hour/each),
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- Write a minimum 1000-word piece that relates to their ethnic culture (community, family, or self/identity),
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- Prepare a five-minute presentation on their work, and
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- Attend and present at an in-person showcase featuring all students and their work (3 hours).
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2024 Schedule: Dates to be Finalized
The workshop will run from October to December, allowing for a one week break for Thanksgiving (November 23-29). Although students may choose to schedule a virtual 1:1 sessions the weekend following Thanksgiving (November 30-December 1), they will not be required to attend any in-person sessions that weekend.
Week 1 (in-person): Saturday, October 19, 2024: Introduction to EchoX, DIGITIZE, and the Story Gathering program
Week 2 (in-person): Saturday, October 26, 2024: Anatomy of a story
Week 3 (in-person): Saturday, November 2, 2024: Finding commonality
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- Small group virtual sessions will start this week
- Students will be able to start scheduling their 1:1s
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Weeks 4-7 (virtual): Independent and small group worktime
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- Week 7’s small group session will cover: an overview of the showcase, the requirements for presentation, give time for students to prepare their presentation, and allow for practice answering panel questions.
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Week 8 (virtual): Deadline for pieces
Week 9 (in-person):
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- TBD week of December 9-13, 2024: Showcase dress rehearsal
- Saturday or Sunday, December 14/15, 2024: Final showcase
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Meet the 2024 instructors:
Kathryn Lam is driven by multicultural digital storytelling and strives to create a world where the celebration of our differences is what brings us together. She graduated from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (2016) where she received a B.A. in English and French. While in university, Kathryn was the editor of Seawords, a monthly marine science magazine. She has worked abroad as a high school teacher in France and as an editor for international Ph.D. candidates in Denmark and the Netherlands. Kathryn enjoys immersing herself in multicultural experiences and has both traveled extensively and lived abroad.
Troy Landrum Jr. is a native of Indianapolis, IN and has lived in Seattle, WA for 10 years. His passion for reading and writing bloomed as he navigated a path of self-rediscovery through identity, faith, culture and his family’s migration stories from Jim Crow South to the Midwest. These intersections are at the helm of his human experience and literature process as a Black artist and oral historian. Troy graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Washington Bothell and is currently a free lance storytelling consultant, a freelance journalist for the South Seattle Emerald, and a Novelist. His novel In Progress explores the question of “Home” through the Historical American time period of The Great Migration. A period in American history where millions of African American people moved from the South to Northern and Midwestern cities. He dedicates his work to the brilliance of African American History and the brilliance of his family history through the work of literature and preservation. He is very excited to join the EchoX team and share in the magic that they have created through the Story Gathering series.
How to Apply:
Applications for “Story Gathering: Sandbox 2024” are currently closed.
If you want to be notified for our next opportunity, join our mailing list!
Future Opportunities:
“Story Gathering: Sandbox” has a high school counterpart! Tailored for ages 14-18, this paid workshop gives area high school students the chance to develop their storytelling skills while cultivating skills that will help them advocate for their future. Learn more about the workshop and read previous workshop student pieces here.
If you would like to be notified on future opportunities to participate in our workshops, please join our mailing list!
Questions, comments, or concerns? Email info@echox.org and a member of our team will get back to you shortly. Interested in our youth opportunities? Check out our Instagram page for the latest announcements and updates.
This workshop is sponsored by the Muckleshoot Tribe and by the City of Bellevue through their Eastside Arts Partnerships. Thank you!
