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Intergenerational Interactive Storytelling for Seniors and Ex-Offenders
The project creates a model for intergenerational interactive storytelling for seniors and ex-offenders. Our objectives are: • to improve empowerment and self-esteem among ex-offenders • to expand seniors' knowledge and concern for ex-offenders • prepare a manual of instructions for other agencies and organizations to replicate this model intergenerational storytelling program
Quick Facts:
- Focus of initiative/program:
- Mental Health
- Substance Abuse
- Empowerment; Self Esteem
- Inititative/program name:
- Intergenerational Interactive Storytelling for Seniors and Ex-Offenders
- Year Established:
- 2008
- Lead agency/organization name:
- StoriesWork
- Population served by initiative/program:
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- Returning from local detention facilities
- Returning from prison
- Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
- Adults
- Men
- Women
- People convicted of a non-violent offense
- Elderly
Intergenerational Interactive Storytelling for Seniors and Ex-Offenders
Contact:
Margaret McwhorterAdministrator
StoriesWork
Phone: 919-433-1535
PO Box 51693
Durham, North Carolina 27717
storieswork@gmail.com
www.storieswork.org
Intergenerational Interactive Storytelling for Seniors and Ex-Offenders
Initiatives and Programs
- Focus of initiative/program:
- Mental Health
- Substance Abuse
- Empowerment; Self Esteem
- Inititative/program name:
- Intergenerational Interactive Storytelling for Seniors and Ex-Offenders
- Lead agency/organization name:
- StoriesWork
- Funding sources for initiative/program:
- Private Foundations in addition to Local Funding
- X
- X
- X
- X
Funding
Partners in the reentry initiative/program
| Informal Agreement | Formal Agreement (e.g., a written contract or an MOU) with this partner. |
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| Community- and faith-based services providers: |
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| Health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment providers: |
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| Members of the community (e.g., people who have been incarcerated, their families or neighbors): |
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| Other criminal justice agencies (e.g., prosecutors, judges): |
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Participants
- Population served by initiative/program:
-
- Returning from local detention facilities
- Returning from prison
- Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
- Adults
- Men
- Women
- People convicted of a non-violent offense
- Elderly
- Total number of people who have participated in initiative/program to date:
- 100
- Total number of people currently participating in initiative/program:
- 25
- Total number of people who can be served at one time:
- 30
- If your initiative/program serves people under community corrections supervision, how does your organization work in partnership or work in collaboration with participants’ probation or parole officers?
- StoriesWork partners with the Durham, NC, Criminal Justice Resource Center (CJRC). CJRC supervises ex-offenders who may or may not be on probation or parole. The StoriesWork Intergenerational Interactive Storytelling is part of re-entry programming provided by CJRC.
Data Collection
- Does your organization collect demographic data on participants?
- No
- Does your organization collect data about the process of your initiative/program?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- 1. We check attendance at each storytelling session. 2. We keep a record of topics addressed and stories discussed at storytelling sessions. 3. We record significant comments made by participants in discussions ofthe stories. 4. We collect and analyze evaluation surveys from ex-offenders and staff midway through the storytelling program and at the end of the program. 5. We do a one-year follow up with staff for feedback on ex-offenders who attended the storytelling sessions.
- Does your organization measure and/or track the outcome of participation?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- We request periodic reports from staff on outcome information for program participants. We measure and track outcomes with this information.
Activities
- What, if any, activities does your initiative/program include for people while they are incarcerated and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- No current activities for the incarcerated.
- What activities does your organization engage in post-release and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- The StoriesWork Intergenerational Interactive Storytelling Program is unique in combining ex-offenders and seniors in storytelling/discussion sessions. We are working with four intergenerational groups, each meeting twice a month for three months. At each meeting, two trained StoriesWork storytellers tell relevant folk stories (designed for adults, not children) followed by a question and answer period probing the challenges facing the characters in the story. We create a safe, non-threatening, non-judgmental atmosphere in which all comments are respected and acceptable. The discussion centers only on the story and not on anyone’s personal life. There are no right or wrong answers, only differences of opinion. The audience is free to think for themselves and to share their thoughts with others. Our expected outcomes include heightened empowerment and self-esteem among ex-offenders and increased knowledge and concern for ex-offenders among the seniors.
Combining ex-offenders and seniors in interactive storytelling is an innovative approach to helping ex-offenders. It differs from most other programs in its major emphasis on heightening empowerment, developing self-esteem and self-confidence, by accepting and respecting all opinions and points of view, and being completely non-threatening, non-judgmental and non-intrusive of anyone’s personal life.. Using the StoriesWork storytelling/discussion technique is just as effective with this group as it is with the general population in other fields. Combining ex-offenders and seniors has proven to be a very effective mix. It is a unique format, and we have not found any similar program elsewhere in the country.
- How are people placed into your program?
- We are partnering with the Durham Criminal Justice Resource Center and the Durham Center for Senior Life. Both organizations recruit and assign participants for the StoriesWork storytelling/discussion sessions. We work with ex-offenders and seniors provided by these two organizations.