Inclusive Storytelling: Immigrant Experiences and Community Reaction in Georgia
Through examination of a multiyear, interdisciplinary, qualitative, community-based participatory research project that began in 2017, this paper explores the role of storytelling in the transference of knowledge, history, and sense of purpose. Storytelling is important for both the storyteller and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The University of Alabama
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship |
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| Online Access: | https://account.jces.ua.edu/index.php/s-j-jces/article/view/695 |
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| _version_ | 1841554087090323456 |
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| author | Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez Paul N. McDaniel Lina Tuschling Lara Smith-Sitton |
| author_facet | Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez Paul N. McDaniel Lina Tuschling Lara Smith-Sitton |
| author_sort | Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Through examination of a multiyear, interdisciplinary, qualitative, community-based participatory research project that began in 2017, this paper explores the role of storytelling in the transference of knowledge, history, and sense of purpose. Storytelling is important for both the storyteller and those who receive stories, creating an emotional connection and compelling listeners and readers to action. To inform and shape the narrative regarding contemporary U.S. immigration, we embarked on a storytelling project through a university-community partnership. The storytellers were immigrant students whose stories were featured in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the book Green Card Youth Voices: Immigration Stories From an Atlanta High School. While the project initially focused on producing a published collection of stories and creating opportunities for public engagement, its larger aim was to connect a young group of Atlantans to each other for deeper exploration around immigration. Two research questions shape this paper: (a) What do we know about young immigrant Atlantans’ perceptions of their own immigration experiences? and (b) What effect does exposure to individual immigration stories have on community members? This paper examines how community-based service-learning initiatives create new visions for civic engagement and what research methods help us ascertain community impact and opinion. We assert that inclusive storytelling from both positions (i.e., story-teller and story-hearer) is vital for improved and more inclusive immigrant integration. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1c105c04fac641e38bf3c35871265624 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1944-1207 2837-8075 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | The University of Alabama |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship |
| spelling | doaj-art-1c105c04fac641e38bf3c358712656242025-01-08T20:12:36ZengThe University of AlabamaJournal of Community Engagement and Scholarship1944-12072837-80752025-01-0117310.54656/jces.v17i3.695Inclusive Storytelling: Immigrant Experiences and Community Reaction in GeorgiaDarlene Xiomara Rodriguez0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6627-1899Paul N. McDaniel1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8363-2844Lina Tuschling2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1206-7531Lara Smith-Sitton3Kennesaw State UniversityKennesaw State UniversityTRENDS GlobalKennesaw State UniversityThrough examination of a multiyear, interdisciplinary, qualitative, community-based participatory research project that began in 2017, this paper explores the role of storytelling in the transference of knowledge, history, and sense of purpose. Storytelling is important for both the storyteller and those who receive stories, creating an emotional connection and compelling listeners and readers to action. To inform and shape the narrative regarding contemporary U.S. immigration, we embarked on a storytelling project through a university-community partnership. The storytellers were immigrant students whose stories were featured in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the book Green Card Youth Voices: Immigration Stories From an Atlanta High School. While the project initially focused on producing a published collection of stories and creating opportunities for public engagement, its larger aim was to connect a young group of Atlantans to each other for deeper exploration around immigration. Two research questions shape this paper: (a) What do we know about young immigrant Atlantans’ perceptions of their own immigration experiences? and (b) What effect does exposure to individual immigration stories have on community members? This paper examines how community-based service-learning initiatives create new visions for civic engagement and what research methods help us ascertain community impact and opinion. We assert that inclusive storytelling from both positions (i.e., story-teller and story-hearer) is vital for improved and more inclusive immigrant integration.https://account.jces.ua.edu/index.php/s-j-jces/article/view/695immigrant integrationcultural identitycultural permanenceidentity transitionyouth immigrantscommunity-based learning |
| spellingShingle | Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez Paul N. McDaniel Lina Tuschling Lara Smith-Sitton Inclusive Storytelling: Immigrant Experiences and Community Reaction in Georgia Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship immigrant integration cultural identity cultural permanence identity transition youth immigrants community-based learning |
| title | Inclusive Storytelling: Immigrant Experiences and Community Reaction in Georgia |
| title_full | Inclusive Storytelling: Immigrant Experiences and Community Reaction in Georgia |
| title_fullStr | Inclusive Storytelling: Immigrant Experiences and Community Reaction in Georgia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inclusive Storytelling: Immigrant Experiences and Community Reaction in Georgia |
| title_short | Inclusive Storytelling: Immigrant Experiences and Community Reaction in Georgia |
| title_sort | inclusive storytelling immigrant experiences and community reaction in georgia |
| topic | immigrant integration cultural identity cultural permanence identity transition youth immigrants community-based learning |
| url | https://account.jces.ua.edu/index.php/s-j-jces/article/view/695 |
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