Exactly two years ago (April 2017), I saw an "International
Liaison position" posted by FreedomStory.org on idealist.org a website where I
check out jobs. After devouring FreedomStory.org stories for 1,5 hrs, I wrote to
the generic email address and introduced myself, although I ended up not applying
for the position. I signed up for their newsletter because as a practitioner of
women’s life writing for years, I couldn’t help but wonder about the founding
mothers and sisters behind the scenes and other stories. At the era of social
media, I can’t decide how or whether people in charge at NGOs will respond to
my eagerness to listen to their stories face to face. I received a reply and
was invited to the office. With her glowing energy and transparency, Rachel
Goble was very welcoming (so was her dog!)
I can’t think of a better time to embrace the phenomenon of
ethical storytelling that Rachel gave birth to. I repress my awkward urge to
thank Trump for the intensive trouble that he has been causing with his
‘stories’, inspiring me and others to challenge the current climate of
ignorance or indifference more than ever. “The fake news,” an easy accusatory label,
calls for an inquiry of “ethical storytelling”. Below are my favorite lines
from http://ethicalstorytelling.com but please visit the website to read it in
its entirety:
*Great stories not only inspire but educate.
*People’s stories are more
than emotion-generating machines.
*Stories are not just for donors or for branding, they shape
our humanity and our world.
Girl-children of Thailand, especially in certain parts of the
country, remain vulnerable to slave-like living, which ranges from sex-slavery
to sweatshop and fishing vessel work. The Freedom Story NGO responds to this
reality by providing scholarships to children and help their families so that
they are not lured into the sex-trade. Mentorship and sustainability of
the prevention model that Freedom Story has appropriated since 2007 are the main
reasons which caught my attention in the first place. Admiration followed.
When the founder Rachel Goble learned about child sexual
exploitation in Thailand, she made a documentary The Sold Project, which
involved interviewing sex workers, exposing its causes: poverty, lack of
education and options. Rachel responded by providing a scholarship to an
at-risk student Cat, and The Freedom Story was born. While the content and
Cat’s story remain very moving, I highly recommend to pay close attention to
the producer’s sensitivity on keeping Cat’s voice in the foreground and
sticking to the pledge of ethical story telling
(http://ethicalstorytelling.com/pledge/)
The Freedom Story’s model is exemplary and has the potential to
be applied in other regions of the world. One advantage the team seemed to have
the support of the locals and the safety of the work environment in Thailand.
This may not be true in some areas of the Middle East (I have Syria, Turkey and
Cyprus in mind due to my background)and will thus pose different challenges.
Nevertheless, the core of the project lies in the prevention, which -I want to
assume- renders relative safety and support in most parts of the globe.
Rachel is enthusiastic about her work and willing to share her
experiences in the US and worldwide. I wouldn’t hesitate to spread the word on
the Freedom Story to wherever I travel, especially after meeting her in person
and witnessing the combination of story-telling and humanitarian work in a
mindful and ethical way. Thank you to the whole team, each and every one for
the transformative/life-changing work that you do!
A series of stunning serendipities define my life so far; thus, meeting
Rachel Goble and the timing of Ethical Storytelling webinar came as no surprise
as I was transforming my interviews with Syrian women refugees into stories for
a book of life writing. I was more than grateful about
it.
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