Why Story Matters in our work with young people
A few years ago – me and a team of Youth Workers with low budgets and big dreams, decided to turn a church hall into a journey through a Steampunk inspired magical world. Using black fabric, gazebo frames, cardboard and LOTS of homemade props and tools we built a maze within the room that took the young people into another world – ready for them to save the day. In this world the young people met interesting characters, came across fun games, solved puzzles and tried to tackle some big team challenges. Everyone was welcome, outfits were encouraged & prep even went into helping people get creative with scrap materials and second-hand clothes to get ready for the event! And the outcome was AMAZING. Young people who did not seem like the type to dress-up, came in character. Some young people had fully planned and designed who they were and how they acted ahead of the event.
I want to suggest that Storytelling isn’t old news, that screens haven’t replaced words and that everything young people do today centres around storytelling (even when they’re on social media or ‘hate’ reading). And I think, there are a few ways we can
(and already do) incorporate it into our work as youth workers and into the exploration of faith and why it might help!
World building
About once a month I sit down with some teenagers and run a Dungeons & Dragon’s session for them. And what may seem like a mathematical, quiet and boring, screenless afternoon becomes a loud, excited and expressive session – full of world-building, storytelling (like how you escaped the dragon), laughter and heroics! The group had never played it before, didn’t even know if they’d like it or wanted to express themselves in this playful way and we still definitely don’t understand all the rules BUT none of that was important, when it came to spending time with friends and making a story that was fun and inspiring.
In one of our recent Youthscape Deep Dives Alex talked about Gen Alpha – and their drive for ‘Co-Creation’ – the act of being IN the story, not just experiencing it. THIS is at the heart of immersive storytelling and games that engage young people not just in a story but in the creation of the story, it’s world and its rules!
Think of Gaming. Epic single player stories are out – but Building (e.g. Minecraft & Roblox), immersive play (think VR Job simulator) and decision-based games (where your choices impact the next step of the story) are in. Consumer research (data on what people spend money on and what they like) shows high rates of Minecraft and Roblox in Gen Alpha – and I’m sure your conversations with them will parallel that.
Think of Media. Social media revolves around content creation – telling our story and building how we look. And even when we engage in other people’s – we are brought into that story. Twitch Streamers saying “chat…”. YouTubers creating content based what their viewers want. Stories built on stories built on stories.
Young people WANT to be part of the story, part of the group and not just hear about it afterwards. SO – where is the worldbuilding in your work? How are young people pulled into the Group’s story?
- This could be through creative play like the stories I told at the start.
- Or it could be through helping young people feel part of the Youth Group/Church/Project – involving them in decisions? Helping them decorate? Letting them plan and decide the events? Responding to their wants/needs?
- It could be through building stories together. Fun ones in the One-Word Story Game (https://bbbpress.com/2013/01/one-word-story/) or using MadLibs style templates (https://www.thewordfinder.com/wordlibs/user-stories/) or deeper ones in the creation of a Theatre piece, enacting of a Bible Story in the modern day or Vlogs that help others see the world from young people’s eyes. Or even using Lego to do it all.
- As Alex put it – “they learn by doing, not just listening. What are you all doing?
If they want to be Worldbuilder. Let’s empower them to build a world they want to live in.
Meaning Making
The one time I’ve had a panic attack – I remember where I was, who I was with, but I don’t remember what I was thinking, why it happened or what happened afterwards. I remember being stood round the corner from my University campus – 21 years old and in my second year with a friend. I can see the cars, the road, the shops and even the sunlight hitting the street. I can feel the tension rising in my chest, the panic set in in my mind (it racing but also feeling stuck) and I remember feeling exposed and scared. But I don’t remember why it happened. At this time, I was stressed, unmotivated and anxious about my essays & exams. I was on antidepressants and in counselling. Luckily, this therapy gave me a chance to explore this event – and we explored the topic by breaking down the story and walking through it.
In Psychology, there is this a framework based around this – the Power Threat Meaning Framework. This is a tool for Formulation (evaluating and assessing a person’s needs and situation) – but what it does well is centre THEIR story. It not only asks “What happened/what was the threat?” or “How did you respond?” but also “What power did you have in the situation?” and “what meaning did you make of it?”.
In the same way, when we can tell our story, express what is going on – whether in words, poetry, conversation or some other way – it can empower young people, and you, to make sense of what happened and figure out a way forward. Psychologists spend so much time focussed on exactly this. Trauma research shows how much our experiences shape how we feel, and that when we have not processed or made sense (or meaning) of them we can feel stuck with them (for more information on this check out The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk).
So, when we think about Storytelling with young people, we need to remember the power in helping young people make sense of their stories – by talking about their own and by experiencing others.
Think of Media. Don’t we often seek our stories that feel like our own? Characters who are like us help us understand feelings we may feel, or figure out who we are. Watching and reading stories we love give us a safe way to process our feelings (because they are someone else’s not our own) and help us find empathy for stories that are different to our own.
Think of Your Young People. The need for time to share stories, talk about their week and struggles. The benefit of sitting down over a hot chocolate, round a campfire, of having a serious conversation. The role of testimony in figuring out our Faith stories – making sense of the story and noticing key moments.
Young people NEED to witness stories, tell their own and figure them out. SO – how can they make meaning through your work? How do young people understand their stories in your work?
- This might be through hearing stories and helping in times of struggle – like my story.
- Or maybe by getting young people interested in Arts, Media and stories that help them understand their situations, feelings and stories. Exploring Bible stories together with openness? Finding meaning in films, TV shows, books and stories that you share or all love? Giving young people a chance to create Art, express themselves through it or talk passionately about the things that they love.
- It could also be in supporting, mentoring and helping young people with figuring out their stories and day-to-day life. Listening when they want it, using tools (like those on the Mental Health Hub or in the Youthscape Store) to help them explore it and making sure they get more help and professionals who will listen if they need it.
Many years ago, I read Don Miller’s books Blue Like Jazz & A Million Miles in a Thousand Years which highlighted the roles and rhythms of stories, how our lives follow those patterns and explored spirituality through genuine relationship and story. As we consider the role of Storytelling and how we can use it to work with young people – I have two final thoughts.
- First – for young people to understand their stories, they need to be free to explore it in their own words, language and meaning. We need to remember that theirs may be different from ours but that we can help them make sense of and take steps on them every step of the way.
- Second – as we help young people explore stories, we need to invest in genuine relationships to help those stories, and their meaning, bloom. Plus - exploring stories of faith foster genuine investment in relationships with God too.
Robson Dodd- Alumina Manager for Youthscape and part of the Headstrong Mental Health Team
