Reﬂection - Storytelling

Challenge:

I volunteered as a Forest Steward with the Ayurvedic and Herbal medicine  company for  3 years. It is a partnership between the City, Forterra, a land conservation  non-proﬁt and forest stewards, with a goal of restoring and maintaining the  health of 1000+ acres of urban forests in Redmond by 2029. A forest  steward “adopts” an urban forest site selected for restorative work and  hosts “work parties” where volunteers from the community are invited to  join in the restoration efforts. The volunteers range from nearby residents  who are looking to spend quality time together outdoors or to instill the  values of being a good citizen in their children, to scout groups who want to  help out the community, to high schoolers who need credits for volunteer  work for their school, to corporate groups looking to take out a day from  their work to contribute to a good social cause.  Restoration is hard work and the site I adopted, needed removing invasive  blackberry which is pretty tough to work with due to its deep roots and wide  prickly stems. There is occasionally a planting event to plant native trees  and plants after the blackberry has been removed. Each work party lasts  about 3 hours and since it’s outdoors, the challenge is to keep the  volunteers engaged so they can stay safe, have fun and get the work done.  We want the volunteers to come back for more work parties as restoration  is a continuous process so it’s important that they have a good experience.

There is also a challenge to raise awareness about the need for human  intervention in maintaining forest health because many people believe that  forests will thrive on their own. This is not true given the fragmentation of  forests caused by the urban developments as well as uninterrupted growth  of invasive species. There is no way to curb their growth organically  because invasive plants are immune to diseases and have no predators.  They block access for native plants and animals and prevent new seeds of  native trees from germinating causing native trees, plants and the animals  and birds that depend on them for habitat, to disappear in the long run.

Selection:

The tool I selected was “Storytelling” as described in Week 2 lectures. I  used this tool due to number of reasons. The event is structured like this -

Welcome - Greet the volunteers and have them sign in (5 min.)—>   Introduction - Forest steward explains the purpose, what to expect,  logistics, tool safety and demo (10 min.) —> Work —> short break —>  Work —> Thank you speech and quick reminders about future events (5  min.).

Given the short amount of time to convey the message, the outdoor setting  with no technological setup,  the diverse backgrounds of volunteers, I  chose to use storytelling during the introductory talk. I wanted to share the  story of not only the big picture about the importance of forests but also the  story of transformation of that particular site, how it changed from a site full  of thick blackberry to the one with beautiful and diverse native plants and  trees that needed some ongoing maintenance to keep blackberry in check.

Application:

During the Introduction, I used storytelling to convey my message to the  volunteers. If the audience was predominantly residents from surrounding  neighborhoods, I would emphasize how homes near urban forests have  greater value because forests buffer noise and improve air quality. If it was  a corporate group, I would emphasize that there is actually a term called  “nature deﬁcit disorder” which is a low feeling due to being away from  nature for long periods of time, as it happens with many working  professionals. I explained the importance of getting a “nature ﬁx” and how it  can alleviate anxiety and depression and how there are certain microbes in  the nature known to improve mood and boost energy levels. With kids, I  would try and make it “educational” by asking them questions about the  need for forests. Kids feel great to see in action what they have learnt in  Schools.

If it is blackberry maintenance, I explain how important it is to remove the  plant along with the rootball because leaving the roots allows it to grow  back quickly.

The volunteers work with enthusiasm and get a lot of work done. It can be  seen from the piles of blackberry bushes they have removed and the  quality of their work can be seen when it’s not just the cuttings of stems but  also the root balls they have removed. At the end of the work party many of  them say they look forward to the next work party. And some of them  become “regulars” at the work parties.

Insight:

What I have learned from applying Storytelling is that giving is as much a  need for people as receiving. Giving makes people feel connected with the  rest of the world and gives them a sense of purpose in life, it makes them  human. When we share a powerful and authentic story with people, we  create space for human values of giving, compassion, trust, kindness and  unity in diversity. On the other hand, if the objective is unclear or lacks  purpose, people may not fully engage and lose interest after a while. I have  learnt that Design thinking has brought the human dimension back into  decision making, which has been lacking in organizations due to their over  reliance on materialistic goals and methods. With design thinking,  companies are thinking beyond customer focus. They don’t just want to  promote their ideas to customers but want to meet their unarticulated  needs better than the competitors and are adopting ethical practices even  for internal processes and employees.

Approach:

I recently took a break from volunteering as a Forest Steward after 3 years  due to the Covid 19 pandemic and to focus on learning new skills for  returning to full time work. But if I were to continue, I would still use  storytelling as needed. But as awareness grows, I would also like to  incorporate visualizations to showcase the change and gather volunteer  feedback about what else can be done to sustain the efforts.


Reﬂection - Storytelling Challenge : I volunteered as a Forest Steward with the Ayurvedic and Herbal medicine company for 3 years . It is a partnership between the City , Forterra , a land conservation non - proﬁt and forest stewards , with a goal of restoring and maintaining the health of 1000 + acres of urban forests in Redmond by 2029 . A forest steward “ adopts ” an urban forest site selected for restorative work and hosts “ work parties ” where volunteers from the community are invited to join in the restoration efforts . The volunteers range from nearby residents who are looking to spend quality time together outdoors or to instill the values of being a good citizen in their children , to scout groups who want to help out the community , to high schoolers who need credits for volunteer work for their school , to corporate groups looking to take out a day from their work to contribute to a good social cause . Restoration is hard work and the site I adopted , needed removing invasive blackberry which is pretty tough to work with due to its deep roots and wide prickly stems . There is occasionally a planting event to plant native trees and plants after the blackberry has been removed . Each work party lasts about 3 hours and since it ’s outdoors , the challenge is to keep the volunteers engaged so they can stay safe , have fun and get the work done . We want the volunteers to come back for more work parties as restoration is a continuous process so it ’s important that they have a good experience . There is also a challenge to raise awareness about the need for human intervention in maintaining forest health because many people believe that forests will thrive on their own . This is not true given the fragmentation of forests caused by the urban developments as well as uninterrupted growth of invasive species . There is no way to curb their growth organically because invasive plants are immune to diseases and have no predators . They block access for native plants and animals and prevent new seeds of native trees from germinating causing native trees , plants and the animals and birds that depend on them for habitat , to disappear in the long run . Selection : The tool I selected was “ Storytelling ” as described in Week 2 lectures . I used this tool due to number of reasons . The event is structured like this - Welcome - Greet the volunteers and have them sign in ( 5 min . ) — > Introduction - Forest steward explains the purpose , what to expect , logistics , tool safety and demo ( 10 min . ) — > Work — > short break — > Work — > Thank you speech and quick reminders about future events ( 5 min . ) . Given the short amount of time to convey the message , the outdoor setting with no technological setup , the diverse backgrounds of volunteers , I chose to use storytelling during the introductory talk . I wanted to share the story of not only the big picture about the importance of forests but also the story of transformation of that particular site , how it changed from a site full of thick blackberry to the one with beautiful and diverse native plants and trees that needed some ongoing maintenance to keep blackberry in check . Application : During the Introduction , I used storytelling to convey my message to the volunteers . If the audience was predominantly residents from surrounding neighborhoods , I would emphasize how homes near urban forests have greater value because forests buffer noise and improve air quality . If it was a corporate group , I would emphasize that there is actually a term called “ nature deﬁcit disorder ” which is a low feeling due to being away from nature for long periods of time , as it happens with many working professionals . I explained the importance of getting a “ nature ﬁx ” and how it can alleviate anxiety and depression and how there are certain microbes in the nature known to improve mood and boost energy levels . With kids , I would try and make it “ educational ” by asking them questions about the need for forests . Kids feel great to see in action what they have learnt in Schools . If it is blackberry maintenance , I explain how important it is to remove the plant along with the rootball because leaving the roots allows it to grow back quickly . The volunteers work with enthusiasm and get a lot of work done . It can be seen from the piles of blackberry bushes they have removed and the quality of their work can be seen when it ’s not just the cuttings of stems but also the root balls they have removed . At the end of the work party many of them say they look forward to the next work party . And some of them become “ regulars ” at the work parties . Insight : What I have learned from applying Storytelling is that giving is as much a need for people as receiving . Giving makes people feel connected with the rest of the world and gives them a sense of purpose in life , it makes them human . When we share a powerful and authentic story with people , we create space for human values of giving , compassion , trust , kindness and unity in diversity . On the other hand , if the objective is unclear or lacks purpose , people may not fully engage and lose interest after a while . I have learnt that Design thinking has brought the human dimension back into decision making , which has been lacking in organizations due to their over reliance on materialistic goals and methods . With design thinking , companies are thinking beyond customer focus . They do n’t just want to promote their ideas to customers but want to meet their unarticulated needs better than the competitors and are adopting ethical practices even for internal processes and employees . Approach : I recently took a break from volunteering as a Forest Steward after 3 years due to the Covid 19 pandemic and to focus on learning new skills for returning to full time work . But if I were to continue , I would still use storytelling as needed . But as awareness grows , I would also like to incorporate visualizations to showcase the change and gather volunteer feedback about what else can be done to sustain the efforts .