Mohammed Isah    11-08-2020

Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge & Selection

Story telling is a tool that I frequently use. I work with a company as a volunteer to motivate the  young population that are needy, poor but have immense talent & creativity in them. So the aim was  to organise a platform where we as a team can volunteer & interact with these children. Many of  these children & their family are poor and cannot avail a good education. So our aim was to bring  the inspiration in them that they also deserve to have goals & dreams in their lives. So we started  working on this & started organizing many free fun & learning events for them. It gives me happiness  to see them actively participating, learning & the smile they have on their face. We interact & ask  them their ideas, what they think of their life & unfortunately we see maximum of the students &  their families are upset about lack of proper education & nutrition. So these feedbacks helped us to  approach through a new idea on how can we improve their lives by strategizing & find what works  for them to get the best ways in lives.

Application

I also have a story to share with all of you using storytelling. While discussing about how can we  bring changes in the lives of this children we started to understand the diverse thinking & the  uniqueness that each child possess in them. Our starting point was to understand them & meeting  their needs. At first same type of approach was unable to meet the needs of them. Many parents  were disagreeing with the fact of educational facilities specially those who had girl  child. But our  team was efficient to convince the health & mental benefits that each child will have with proper  nutrition & education. But I came across one of the family where no matter what they were not  getting convinced, specially the mother was denying again and again. So I decided to talk to her  separately on what is the problem or obstacle present that is making her stop to let her girl child to  be a part of these educational event. What I came across was when she was small, she had a big  wish to study & become tourist guide. Her mother tried a lot to let her study but her father used to  beat her & her mother for being in the same track & forcefully get her married. So she fears that  same would happen with her child. Because in their family also father-in-law & Her husband did not  support education.

Insight & Approach

That made me deeply think of her feelings & situation. She was a calmly talking to me and showed  her concerns. Clearly it was time for me to open up with my story. I told her that I wanted to be a  criminal lawyer but there was no one to support me & I had no idea how to approach in this & cost  of studying criminal lawyer is quite high. But still I didn’t let myself fully down & decided that though  I was unable to fulfil my dream but I would help fulfil the dreams of other children who dare to  dream & I became a part of this mission. I shared that going against my family as they also wanted to  get me married but I fought for myself and tried my best to do something of my own & here am I in  front of you. I comforted her that situations like this will come but fighting back for your child where  your dreams remained unfulfilled will be the biggest relief that you can have in your life. This worked  really well. She really needed motivation that this is possible, and she ended up with that and a true  support. She got back with me and fought the battle for her child and she showed me as example  which was quite surprising for me & I also made their family understand the importance & as this is  free how her child will smile & say I did it for her parents. And with this we approached & get her  participated in the campaign. So I told this story to place I work, and I think it had a big impact on  people there. The policies are being revaluated and the caseworkers are going through new

Mohammed Isah    11-08-2020

campaigns. Sometimes a little story can do a lot of good. This course made me see this as a tool in a  new way. I couldn’t convinced some of my co-workers before but now I can prepare ahead and think  of stories that will assist me in presenting my ideas and best illuminate them.

