Going Global - Taking Digital Storytelling to India

Eduweave was invited by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 2006 to conduct digital storytelling workshops in Delhi, India as part of its ‘Finding a Voice’ project. The two organizations partnered with Datamation Foundation Charitable Trust in New Delhi to design a workshop for young women from impoverished communities who had an interest in computer technologies. The goal of the workshop was to create an opportunity for the women to develop and share their personal stories using new media. We also wanted to identify ‘master trainers’ who could train other women within their communities in both the technology and the development of story narratives.

Sample Stories

Movies spanned many topics including female infanticide, impact of domestic strife and alcoholism, role of mentors and family and the value of education.

  

Profile of Participants

The participants ranged in age from 13 to 27 years. Some of the women were school dropouts and a few had completed their high school education through correspondence course. Many came from families and communities where education for women was not valued or could not be afforded. However, the women were highly motivated to learn new skills, find jobs to support themselves and their families and were particularly intrigued by computers as a learning tool. A majority of them had taken the basic computer course offered by Datamation Foundation at the ICT Center and were eager to learn more. Four women from Chandni Chowk, four from Seelampur and two from Khichripur participated in the workshops.

Curriculum

The workshop adapted the ‘Spreading the Stories’ curriculum developed by Creative Narrations and MassIMPACT. While the overall structure was preserved, key concepts were translated into Hindi and a number of sections were simplified to meet the needs of the audience.

Outreach

The films were screened at various locations as part of Datamation's outreach efforts. The initial screening was held at the workshop site (Datamation Computer Center) on the last day of the training program. A mix of family and friends participated. Next, the movies were screened at the local communities where families, community leaders and students watched stories and discussed the relevance to their lives. The film makers also presented their movies to students of a media program at the esteemed Mass Communication Research Center. The students selected ‘The Flame that Burned’ as the ‘Best Film’ and the ‘Let the Flowers Bloom’ as the movie with the ‘Best Social Message’.

“…a unique initiative for spreading awareness and information through visual media in the community.”
– UNESCO article

“…A handful of girls living in the slums of Seelampur, Kichripur and Ballimaran in the Capital's Walled City…(who are) among the most vulnerable in terms of eve teasing, alcoholism and domestic violence…(and) who had never seen a computer till recently, have made some heart-rending films.”
– The Hindu, Saturday 11/11/06