| Digital Stories | North Wales Digital Stories |
As I drove 82 year old Betty Dickens to the first day of the workshop to create digital stories I very quickly realised how lucky we were that she was attending. As we chatted she told me all about her activities that ensure that she does not have “to sit at home and do nothing”. Despite a chronic condition and mobility problems Betty has a full timetable that culminates in a social group meeting on a Friday that, in a clear demonstration of her wry sense of humour, she calls “The Beenagers”. I had sent out a request for learners prepared to share their stories in order to promote the benefits of learning and encourage others to take it up. Betty was a willing volunteer and along with the others who make up the workshop delegates they represent learners from their 50s to their 80s and a wide range of backgrounds.
I had engaged the Breaking Barriers Digital Storytelling Project, that has its home in Caerphilly Borough Council’s Blackwood Miners’ Institute, to deliver the workshop. Digital Stories are short audio visual presentations. They are made up of a soundtrack with a short script (around 300 words) accompanied by a series of still images that have a power and impact that is far more than the sum of their fairly simple parts. Matt White, who manages the Breaking Barriers project, facilitated the day. He arrived, as usual, with an armful of exercises to get people talking and draw out their stories. These workshop members were so enthusiastic and participated so wholeheartedly that the first exercise lasted until lunch, by which time it was quite clear that there was a wealth of raw material just waiting to be shaped into digital stories.
During the remaining sessions the scripts were finalised and recorded, images scanned and the whole put together using computers. When she found that she would be using a computer Betty’s face lit up at the thought of a new challenge. The digital stories will be used for presentations at meetings, conferences and events as well as put up on websites and even posted to people on CDs. They will provide evidence of the benefits of learning for older people themselves and for practitioners and policy makers that still need to be convinced. Breaking Barriers works to the BBC broadcast standards and as it is a project that grew out of BBC Wales Capture Wales project it is just possible that they will be able to make use of some stories too.
A screening of all the stories at one of the cinema screens at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff brought in a full house, much to the delight of the storymakers who thoroughly enjoyed the whole process and amazed themselves with the professional results they have achieved which stood the test of being shown on the “Silver screen”. When one of the stories was used recently at and Age Concern conference on Technology and Ageing it was greeted with a huge and heartfelt round of applause. Several other organisations have asked to use them during adult learners week and look out for them too on TV its just possible that the BBC, especially BBC Wales will use some of them.
Eirwen Malin
Project Officer, Older and Bolder
If you would like to receive a free copy of these stories on DVD, please email; rachel.lewis@niacedc.org.uk
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