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Jun, 24

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The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos

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Meet Karis

When you’re young, you’re likely to have big dreams. Mine were pretty much as big as you can imagine. From year to year I decided I was destined to be a professional soccer player, a fashion designer, a CEO, and even a dolphin trainer. However, throughout all of these ambitious career choices, I kept doing one thing, just because I loved it: storytelling. I made newspapers for my friends, classes, and family starting at age seven, and started taking photos daily when I was 12. Finally one day I wised up and realized that I should probably think about doing what I did everyday anyway for a living. So I decided to become a professional storyteller, or as I usually call it, a journalist.

That dream has become a reality in some of the most incredible ways. I’ve reported for major newspapers and radio stations, and traveled to every corner of cities and around the world in the search for a story. To me, storytelling is the best way to make sense of your life, explore a new place, and interact with others. If you can put a human face on an issue or explain a complicated idea in a simple way, oftentimes you have made sense of it yourself and you can convince people to make a difference in the world. I’m motivated by action, and I’ve found a notebook and camera is the best way for me to spur action in the world. Storytelling was also the only way that I dealt with some tough issues in my life. Growing up, especially when you’re young, can be quite challenging. Asking questions, writing down thoughts, and expressing yourself in words and pictures is one of the best ways to explain your feelings and show the world the importance of your story. With that in mind, while I did journalism on my own, I also volunteered and worked with students to help them tell the stories of their communities and their lives in order to empower the next generation of storytellers.
So when a friend sent me information about The Modern Story, I knew it was the perfect opportunity for me. I’m so excited to travel to a new place, meet new people, learn about Hyderabad (and India), and instill a love of storytelling in more young people. Though it will be quite a bit hotter than my current home, Minnesota, I’m ready and absolutely thrilled to brave the temperatures and travel to Hyderabad to work with The Modern Story and its partners.
24
Jun

2

Pre-Departure, TMS Fellow Updates

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Meet Rachel

34 hours. That’s how long I’ll have between leaving my home in California and arriving in Hyderabad for the incredible journey that will be my first six months out of college. Between reading books from the list of selections we were given to educate us on India, tearing through Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed again to remind myself what good teaching looks like, and listening to the 16-hour playlist I’ve carefully curated for the long trip, I can only imagine that the rest of the travel time will be spent trying to contain my excitement (or sleeping, but excitedly).

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an interest in social justice. So when I decided to study filmmaking, it felt only natural for me to explore how the two could be used alongside each other. But the mainstay of social justice filmmaking, the depressing documentary, left a lot to be desired. After working with a nonprofit that seeks sustainable solutions to poverty over the periodic dispensing of charity and an organization that provides participants with the technical training and tools to tell their own stories through film, my curiosity about what those depressing documentaries would look like if their subjects were the ones producing them intensified. I was drawn to The Modern Story because they were asking the same questions I was. What would it look like if we helped empower those most often spoken for or never spoken about to speak for themselves? What would we see in those stories that challenged the script so often dispensed? These are exactly the questions I hope to see answered during my time in India. And these are the questions that will carry me through my 34-hour journey when the revolutionary words of Paolo Freire and the soothing sounds of Sufjan Stevens aren’t enough.

Jun, 24

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Pre-Departure, The Modern Story Fellowship, Videos

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Meet Dara

Last summer I heard the story of Cho, a Tibetan refugee, who walked by nightfall for two months to India from a Chinese-occupied Tibet. I was studying abroad in northern India and this service project, a simple language and culture exchange, was meant to serve as an integration method to help prepare us for living in a nearby village. However, for me, hearing his story had a profound impact. Cho told me: “Please tell others my story. I want others to know”. I remember wishing that I had the tools and the proper platforms to get his story out into the world, and not just my small connections to it.

Before I met Cho I understood how important personal storytelling and digital media could be in personal development. While living in New York City I volunteered to teach digital photography to inner-city junior high students. The transformation that occurred was stunning to watch – my students became more confident, it gave them a changed perspective on their world, and it excited them to learn more. It created passion. After meeting Cho I decided that I wanted to do more service for youth, and to help them find their voice in our ever-changing world.

This passion for service also propelled my interest in global education. Following university I moved to Kumasi, Ghana to work for an American NGO where I ran peer mentoring programs in rural villages. I spent seven months there working within the school systems, learning Twi, traveling West Africa, and hearing people’s stories. It was during this time that I learned about The Modern Story Fellowship, and knew that this would be the perfect next step for me to explore additional educational systems, listen to more people’s stories, and to also return to a country that I love.

I think that global education is an ongoing dialogue; it bridges cultural and religious gaps to achieve learning and understanding. I love teaching because I love being a part of that dialogue, and because I never want to stop learning about the world. I am so excited to be a part of The Modern Story, and for this new adventure!

Jun, 22

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Pre-Departure, TMS Fellow Updates

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Meet Nandini

When my sister and I were growing up in Bahrain, my father made up bedtime stories for us using characters from comics he read as a child in India. For the longest time, I believed that Chamataka the Jackal was entirely his own invention. Now I see how those stories let him keep alive something from his past, while connecting us to something we had never truly known. By linking generations and places, stories – both real and fictional – become central to the migration experience.

My parents also took many photos and videos over the years, zealously documenting our life in a new country that became home. Looking back, it’s no wonder I was drawn to visual media. I was already a voracious reader and video and photography opened up the world even further. One of the most fulfilling educational experiences I had in high school was working with friends to make a short documentary about local reactions to the imminent invasion of Iraq. In addition to digital skills and new perspectives on our teachers, classmates, and each other, the project let us take action in our community and speak back, in our own small way, to events that left us feeling powerless.

In my experience as an advocate, I learned more lessons about the power of storytelling. It was a critical tool, whether working with families who were fighting to save their homes after being targeted for predatory loans, or organizing with immigrant students for access to higher education and their families’ safety. Telling your story can provide an invitation, a catharsis, or a catalyst. It can bring people together and expose obscured truths. When we share the experiences that give meaning to our lives and define the changes we want, it creates space and strength for others to do the same.

The first stories that we learn might be about wily animals and their forest adventures, but we collect stories throughout our lives. Considering this abundance of narratives, we might wonder about the significance of our own. In those moments, I believe, it helps to remember how storytelling can transform us, and how the personal can be political. I can’t wait to embark on this journey with the TMS fellowship and collaborate with the young people, educators, and community organizations of Hyderabad.

5
Dec

0

Classroom News, Photo Stories, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates

Two more movies from the incredible young women of West Marredpally!

You may remember the entry I posted about my West Marredpally class’ first video “Our Stories Our Important.”   I’m pleased to report that the conversations around sexism, representation and girl power that project continued long after we wrapped.

In the above noted entry, I wrote about impressed I was with the ability of the girls to recognize the need for complex, honest female characters, rather than simply strong female characters.  For our second video, a fast-paced action flick about four super-heroines taking on two evil villains planning to commit infanticide against baby girls, the students worked hard to create characters that were not only tough, but also relatable: one hero struggles with her parents having doubts in her.  The students were also adamant about creating two female villains because they wanted to disrupt the portrayal of girls as sweet and nice.  Their sense of empathy and ability to write and portray complex characters stems from a true self-awareness that many of the girls possess.  They are immensely capable of thinking and working independently and I had no trouble sending small teams out on shoots by themselves.  Despite the fact that the story was rooted in fiction, many of the actresses drew on their own experiences or those of women they knew well when approaching a scene instead of copying what they’d seen in the theater or on their televisions.

Four Superheroines from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

With this in mind I decided to propose a final project that would center on self-representation.  Many of the students wrote poems about themselves and they worked in pairs to frame self-portraits.  In stark contrast to the trepidation they displayed at the beginning of the semester, most were ecstatic to be totally in control.  Their willingness to present themselves as they are astounded me; I loved seeing that some of them wrote lines like “Angry (sometimes!)” in their poems.  I hope you enjoy learning more about them as much as I have!

West Marredpally self-portraits from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

Dec, 5

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TMS Fellow Updates

Jai Ganesha: to Boston and Beyond

Hello there!  Way back in July my students at Seethaphalmandi and I became fascinated by the idea of cross-cultural sharing via Digital Postcards.  Lucky for us, Hyderabad’s festival season swung into high gear just as we were getting ready to embark on our second video project.  When the neighborhood around the school began to be crowded with pop-up sweet shops and Ganesha temples, I was confused, and immediately turned to my students for the low-down.  They explained that Ganesh Chatruthi: the 11-day celebration that would culminate in a massive citywide celebration at Tank Bund, was almost upon us!  Because our surroundings were so teeming with potential material (beautiful statues to photograph, plenty of folks to interview, spontaneous dance parties to film) we decided to devote our energy to educating the masses about this incredible festival.

Jai Ganesha from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

At first, I was a bit reluctant to go along with the student’s insistence on incorporating photography, interviews, videos and stop motion animation into the project, but they quickly divided themselves into teams and proved they were more than up for the task.  Apart from one special field trip that we all took to some of the neighborhood idols, the students honed their skills in small groups, dutifully checking off items on our production checklist.  The final product is not only visually stunning, but also provides a wonderfully comprehensive understanding of the festival.

The class with their letters from Breakthrough students!

The class with their letters from Breakthrough students!

One of the most rewarding aspects of this project, however, was actually getting to send the postcard to a group of Digital Storytelling students in a Boston, facilitated by our own Piya Kayshap.  The students were thrilled to share this aspect of their culture and even more elated to receive letters and power points about Halloween and Thanksgiving.  We had a great time comparing and contrasting the holidays and drafting letters to our new friends!

 

5
Dec

1

Daily Updates, Pre-Departure, Reflections, The Modern Story Fellowship, TMS Fellow Updates, Videos

Three Cheers for Uma Rani!

Yesterday was my final class at Bansilalpet School. I’ll reserve a separate post for their final project but just for now I want to highlight one student in particular. We spent the class preparing for today’s final presentation and party: making a snack list, finalizing and retouching all the videos, and deciding who would give the welcome address to fellow students, the entire faculty, and the headmaster. Almost before I could finish asking for a volunteer, Uma’s hand shot up.

“I’ll give the welcome,” she quipped.

My co-teacher Geetha and I were both (pleasantly) a little shocked. From the beginning, Uma has been excited about the class and eager to learn, but also slow to raise her hand and very prone to blushing. She never quite got comfortable in front of the camera, but, slowly, she did make strides: first volunteering to be camerawoman, than to direct, and finally, to take the lead on writing our last fiction story and recording the voiceover. Still, if someone had asked me whom I would have pegged as a willing public speaker back in July, I would never have guessed Uma.

Maybe Uma’s transformation stems from the fact that, as a class, we’ve all gotten more comfortable with each other. We’ve worn insane costumes and had too many spontaneous dance parties to count.  The girls and boys have not only learned to work together, but have found that they enjoy it.  Maybe it’s simply that she’s six months older now. But whatever the reason, in the video below she proves herself to be an incredibly confident and articulate young woman.

I’m missing my students at Bansilalpet already, but it’s no small comfort to have walked away knowing that Uma and her classmates, who taught me so much over the last six months, truly are confident excited and excited about continuing to tell their stories.

Nov, 22

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TMS Fellow Updates

Near the end, the beginning.

Tieing up loose ends, I realize I never did publish a blog entry about the first videos of Railway or Seethafalmondi schools! I suppose at the time my mind was still too preoccupied by new accents and auto-rides and spicy curry to keep track. But as both schools finish up their final projects, it’s a good chance to look back at where we came from.

We are lucky that Railway was our first experience with Hyderabad government schools; the girls’ confidence showed us the potential of 8th class students, and caused us to push for more creativity at other schools. As an artmaker myself, I ask a lot of questions about how and what others make. RW girls were happy to share their favorite art practices at school: classical Indian dance, muggu, and friendship bands. Looking back, I see behaviors that held true through all projects: Priyanka will do the most animated voiceover, Thanuja and Srujana will rewrite and rewrite until I physically remove the script from their hands, and Sunaina and Manaswini will always shyly volunteer to act the roles of best friends.

Our Culture & Art from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

Seethafalmondi started out chaotic, mostly because of the language barrier (mainly Telegu-medium) and the inconsistent and limited classroom space at their school. Both these factors led us directly into physical making, and the re-telling of familiar stories. The students are smart, hard-working, creative, and the work they composed clearly shows it. The first project was an illustrative photo story of poems which shows the diversity of languages spoken in the school. There are poems in Hindi, in Telegu, and in English. Each group of students took on two poems; one of which they illustrated with a series of paintings, the other of which they acted out. I will follow up more with the final project, but it is fascinating to see how, despite different prompts and new equipment, we ended up in a very similar place.

Languages of Poetry from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

Nov, 15

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TMS Fellow Updates

Many Tiny Movements

Of all the schools at which I teach, Railway students are the most vocal advocates of girl power. When the discussion of this project began, the group was overrun with injustices against girls and declarations of what should be. As such, it was difficult for them to develop the succinct plot that this animation required. However, I firmly believe that the ideas not included this particular story will continue to be lifted up by these students as they become adults.

This project was mostly led by Asma, our long-time TMS assistant teacher (check her out on our team page!). Asma has done much of her own graphic and animation work, and was able to share that experience with the students. Awesome! I am so grateful to have worked with her.

Ah, stop-motion animation: one of the most time-consuming video-making processes on the planet. To produce one takes patience and determination, but in return we experience the truly magical moment when illustrations come to life. Eight girls at Railway GGHS had that patience and determination – now check out their magic.

Brave Girl: Every Girl Have Their Own Rights from The Modern Story on Vimeo.

Watch out, Cartoon Network, there's a new animation team in town. From brainstorming to final credits, eight illustrators, voice actors, and editors from Railway GGHS have done an enormous amount of work to create a simple but powerful story.

Nov, 15

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TMS Fellow Updates

Tour of Tamil & Vast Rewards

We are weeks late posting this entry, so it falls out of chronological order; please forgive. Its appearance now heralds two things: the upload of the last videos from our 3-week teaching trip Tamil Nadu, and the upcoming Hyderabad arrival of our amazing new friend Adriana from Communities Rising! This experience was productive and rewarding in innumerable ways, but I shall try to number some of them.

# days with SAMSSS / Communities Rising = 14
# students = 180
# videos produced = 12

Anilady primary school students. Most of our time was spent with the 5th to 8th classes of Anilady, a combined primary and high school associated with the Catholic ministry. The school was not English-medium, an obvious challenge, but we were assisted diligently by Brother Philip and the computer teacher, Siva. We had a new class and thus new video project every day of the week. They produced Favorite Things, Feeling Thankful, When I Grow Up, Bodies, Our School Anilady, Colorful, I Can Fly, Memories, and a short welcome video for students in Piya’s new program in the U.S., Breakthrough. In our spare time (yes, jokes) we spent two days with students in Periyatchioor village making a video about animals, two days with students in Sengadu village making a song + dance music video about beauty, and five days of after-school time at the SAMSSS center with students from Vikravandy village making Fever, and This Boy Fever. Oh, also, the photo walk project.

Hostel boys at SAMSSS: "Hi-i-i-i Teacher!!"

Hostel boys at SAMSSS: “Hi-i-i-i Teacher!!”

Somehow, despite this huge workload, the time in Tamil Nadu was one of the most joyful I’ve experienced. This is due, in part, to the quiet and the beauty of rural India; a welcome break from the everlasting noise and smoke pollution of Hyderabad. But more, the joy came from the feeling of family that is fostered so warmly by