Why Stories?

Stories have always played a vital role in the lives of individuals. Before written words, spoken stories formed an oral tradition central to passing on knowledge, creating understanding and fostering learning for generations new to the social and cultural world in which they lived.

 

Often these spoken stories were further enriched by visuals that deepened the meanings emanating from them. Together, the word and the visual combine to produce a powerful process that gives individuals a voice to share their experiences with others.

 

In today’s world of the Internet, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, the technical ability and the possibility of access and opportunity for individuals to voice their stories through social media, has never been greater.

 

At StoryPath, we will help you to find your voice to tell your story to others.

Our Approach to the use of Stories

The key to an effective ‘story’ is to find the storytelling process most appropriate for the social situation in which it is to be used. At StoryPath, we work together with you to decide on an approach that fits your needs.

 

If your work involves understanding a social change process, then an evaluative storytelling approach may be appropriate. Using qualitative techniques that incorporate stories and the act of their ‘creation’, we work with individuals and communities to identify current issues, problems and opportunities.  These ‘stories’ provide a pathway to understanding individual and community held knowledge, and provide for an evaluative approach that is evidence-based and grounded in community participation. Using video and still photography through approaches like Photo-Voice, Video-Voice and Adobe Voice, this evaluative process results in visual and written products that address the learning and accountability needs of the social change intervention in question.

 

Often, social change interventions can result in significant social transformation. The ability to both document and communicate this change can be critical to the understanding and learning of others who wish to follow.  At StoryPath, we work with individuals, communities and organizations to capture these experiences through the use of a visual documentary approach. Using the visual medium of video, these  ‘films’ can be as short as 2 minutes or as long as needed, but the goal is to always tell the story that the individual, community or organization wants to convey to others.

StoryPath Helps You Tell Your Stories
Evaluative Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful form of human expression and a process cerntral to sense-making.  By accommodationg diverse voices and experiences, it can make the most of the resources and ways of learning that are easily accessible in your program.  Coming directly from the individual, community or organization, therse stories emerge from the social and cultural contexts within which the participants live – and not from a pre-imposed evaluative structure from the outside.

 

At StoryPath we use storytelling processes that include both audio and visual techniques that are participatory and easy to do.  Using mentods such as ‘Photovoice’, where participants use still photos to document, reflect or promote ddiscussions around specific issues and ‘VideoVoice’, which uses a  combination of the ‘Most Sgnificant Change’ (MSC) evaluation processes and the use of participatory video techniques, individuals, communities and organizations can lead, participated in and communicate evaluation findings important to them.

Visual Documentary

When a particularly compelling story simply must be told because of its potential to promote understanding or to influence positive decision-making or to inspire action, StoryPath can help you identify, create and  tell it.  We use state of the art equipment and software and  in consultation with you, provide the planning, preparation and attention to detail required.

Photography & Videography

Reporting and documentation requirements in the context of humanitarian and development work often require the thoughtful, professional capture of photographic images and video footage that helps gage impact, communicate ideas, address issues and needs  and support informed decision-making and planning.  StoryPath produces creative, accurate and compelling still imagery and motion footage that effectively and sensitively communicates your work and its impact toward bringing about positive social change in complex global environments.  We talk with you about what you want, we do the rest...

Sample Stories
Adobe Voice

The essense of storytelling is a simple, enjoyable, natural creative act motivated by our need and desire to communicate, be creative, entertain, share experience and learn.  With this 'fun factor' in mind, StoryPath takes advantage of a tool - an app - developed by Adobe called 'Voice' that with minimal instruction, utilizes hand-held IOS devices, provided by StoryPath for instuctional use in our evaluative storytelling workshops, to facilitate simple, powerful storywork that even children are quickly able to master.

 

The software is basic, limiting editing options to avoid the technical complexity that might otherwise stifle the storytelling process.  The end product is a unique story created by workshop participants themselves.  It is their story, literally told using their own voices and in a format that is easily shared.  At the same time, it is a product that communicates significant,  useful qualitative data intergral to the evaluative process.

Sample Stories
Evaluative Storytelling and Most Significant Change (MSC)

Most Significant Change (MSC) is a participatory monitoring and evaluation technique that focuses on collecting project success stories from which participant communities then select those that they feel are examples of change that is most significant and these are further compared to finally choose the story that is collectively deemed to be the best example of significant change.

Sample Stories
Visual Documentary

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The StoryPath Story

Our own paths crossed in Maputo, Mozambique where each of us has been based with our families for the last several years.  We have worked both independently and collaboratively on exciting projects involving evaluation, training, videography, photography and the production of reporting and promotional media for clients worldwide.  We have extensive experience globally, motivated by our desire to help contribute to making the world fairer, more tolerant, more peaceful and more equitable.   The three of us share a passion for the well-told visual story as well as a vision for helping others to find their voices and to create and tell their stories - stories they can share with the world.

If you think that StoryPath can help you to tell and share your story, please contact us.

Kevin Kelpin

Kevin is an evaluation specialist with over 25 years of international work in overseas development aid.  He regularly incorporates visual evaluation techniques in his work, supporting organizations and communities to tell their story to others.

 

Kevin has a PhD. In Cultural Anthropology from the University of British Colombia in Canada, and a Masters in Visual Anthropology from the University of Southern California (USC).

Daniel Nuss

Daniel is a co-founder of Thagaconnect LLP. Thagaconnect is a network that connects ex-pat professionals with short-term contract work. Thagaconnect also specializes in training and mentoring to increase staff capacity in business’, NGO’s and donor organizations. Daniel leads trainings and mentoring in presentation skills and visual communication.

 

Daniel has over a decade of experience filming projects for business’ and organizations in the developing world. He has directed a feature film, a handful of TV specials and dozens of promos and short films.

Paul Erickson

Paul currently works as an independent creative consultant, artist and photographer/videographer, based in Maputo, Mozambique.  He is keen to help others learn how to tell stories more effectively in order to influence and contribute to social change through documentary and participatory storytelling.

 

Paul also has over a decade of experience as a development practitioner and manager. He has broad experience in and knowledge about development issues that informs his world view, vision and craft.  Paul has degrees in Anthropology and International Development.

 Contact Us:

Contact Info:

Email: info@storypath.org Phone: +258 82 7857045 Maputo, Mozambique

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Copyright Storypath 2016

Designed by Paul Erickson, Kevin Kelpin and Daniel Nuss

Why Stories? Our Approach to the use of Stories
StoryPath Helps You Tell Your Stories
Evaluative Storytelling Visual Documentary Photography & Videography
Sample Stories
Adobe Voice
Sample Stories
Evaluative Storytelling and Most Significant Change (MSC)
Sample Stories
Visual Documentary
The StoryPath Story
 Contact Us:
Email: info@storypath.org Phone: +258 82 7857045 Maputo, Mozambique
  • ...

    Why Stories?
    services
    Our Story
    Contact
    Samples
    Top
Why Stories? Our Approach to the use of Stories
StoryPath Helps You Tell Your Stories
Evaluative Storytelling Visual Documentary Photography & Videography
Sample Stories
Adobe Voice
Sample Stories
Evaluative Storytelling and Most Significant Change (MSC)
Sample Stories
Visual Documentary
The StoryPath Story
 Contact Us:
Email: info@storypath.org Phone: +258 82 7857045 Maputo, Mozambique
  • ...

    Why Stories?
    Our Story
    Samples
    Services
    CONTACT
    Top
Why Stories? Our Approach to the use of Stories
StoryPath Helps You Tell Your Stories
Evaluative Storytelling Visual Documentary Photography & Videography
Sample Stories
Adobe Voice
Sample Stories
Evaluative Storytelling and Most Significant Change (MSC)
Sample Stories
Visual Documentary
The StoryPath Story
 Contact Us:
Email: info@storypath.org Phone: +258 82 7857045 Maputo, Mozambique
  •  ...

    Why Stories?
    Services
    Samples
    Our Story
    CONTACT
    Top
Why Stories? Our Approach to the use of Stories
StoryPath Helps You Tell Your Stories
Evaluative Storytelling Visual Documentary Photography & Videography
Sample Stories
Adobe Voice
Sample Stories
Evaluative Storytelling and Most Significant Change (MSC)
Sample Stories
Visual Documentary
The StoryPath Story
 Contact Us:
Email: info@storypath.org Phone: +258 82 7857045 Maputo, Mozambique
Why Stories? Our Approach to the use of Stories
StoryPath Helps You Tell Your Stories
Evaluative Storytelling Visual Documentary Photography & Videography
Sample Stories
Adobe Voice
Sample Stories
Evaluative Storytelling and Most Significant Change (MSC)
Sample Stories
Visual Documentary
The StoryPath Story
 Contact Us:
Email: info@storypath.org Phone: +258 82 7857045 Maputo, Mozambique