We believe everyone has a story. In an era of political division and fleeting social connections, our stories restore empathy and compassion to communities on social issues such as islamophobia, trans rights, and immigration. We aim to expand our free monthly story hours to New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and grow our online presence by producing videos and podcast from our existing archive of 40 transformative stories.
The knowledge that listening promotes empathy and compassion is nothing new. Yet there are few community-oriented events with the sole focus of listening as a form of building compassion and connecting to others. The most pressing public concern at the moment also happens to be one that has existed well before, that is, the issue of political polarization and the narrowing of social networks both as a function of individual demographic and changing technology.
Through our in-person events and online content, we aim to bridge divided communities in the U.S. We coach storytellers to present stories in a non-partisan manner that increases relatability to all demographics. We curate topics and stories with a focus on marginalized, unique voices. Listen for a Change provides a fun, free, community-oriented event for adults to focus on listening as a form of empathy and connection.
With each event, 120 attendees walk away reminded of the powerful act of listening. They are equipped with the tools for effective, authentic, judgment-free listening and encouraged to practice compassion to strangers. Stories of both struggle and triumph hold universal truths and, when told honestly, powerful human connections are made, bridges are built, and change is inevitably more possible. Personal narratives can change the world.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).