Example Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge & Selection

Storytelling is an important design thinking tool. I use it to work with youth in difficulty in a suburben  area of Tunis. Those teenagers have communication difficulties, are aggressive, some of them live in  very difficult situations in families with alcohoolic or unemployed fathers that are violent with them  by assault or rape. Some of them quit their schools and become drug dealers or thieves. These  teenagers need to be empowered by culture, education and art . They need to be more confident in  their future and welth. I spend a lot of time finding ways to improve their circumstances and help  them become good and happy citizens. I work with them helped by some students from different  profiles : art students, ingeneers… We share with those youth stories about our lives to give them  more confidence and help them change ideas about life. We use stories to better understand their  fears, needs and interests.  Those stories help me convince local responsables in the community to  give those youth some facilities to do activities helping them well being.

Application

I used story telling with local authorities to get help and more involvment in the protection of these  youth in difficulty. Telling a story of a 13 years old boy Ashley who quitted his family house and lives in  the street. Ashley was used to be beated by his father every day. He decided not to return to his home  and to live in the street . He became a thief. I worked with Ashley and helped him express his fears and  calm his agressivity with art. Ashley changed his vision to the society and became more creative and  confident. He had the courage to face his family problem and returned back his home. Ashley is helping  me supervise other teenagers in difficulty and reduce agressions and violence in the community.

I also used story telling with those youth in difficulty to approach them and let them be more  confident to tell their own stories and describe their problems and fears.

Insight & Approach

Ashley’s story convinced the local authorities to invest in more cultural spaces and activities to supervise  youth in difficulty in the community. They became more aware of the importance of supervising  those teenagers.

Design thinking helps me have more structured ideas and take the best decisions for my actions. To  help teenagers in difficulty, design thinking is also a good tool for them, to make them increase their  leardership and empower their creativity.

Thanks to this course, I know more about the importance of storytelling when presenting my ideas. I  will use more this tool because it enables and allows easy contact and a better transmission of my  ideas.

