Story Telling for Good
November 25, 2011 // The Whitman Institute
By Pia Infante
What better time of year than now, and what better time in human history than now, is there to highlight and focus on stories of good? It’s been an intense year politically, financially, socially for many – and, as we bring the year to a close, I’m led to look for what’s “good in the hood” as a recent Storytellers for Good piece highlighted.
Actually, it was while flipping through TWI grantee Spot Us’ unfunded stories that I found this smiling example of a great story. Spot.Us is an open source project to pioneer “community powered reporting.” Through Spot.Us the public can commission and participate with journalists to do reporting on important and perhaps overlooked topics. Contributions are tax deductible and we partner with news organizations to distribute content under appropriate licenses.
I found that a consistent partner in this endeavor for Spot Us is another outfit aptly named Storytellers for Good which is a team of passionate journalists and photographers who seek to use their skills to inspire optimism and change. This group aims to tell and promote stories of people and organizations making a positive difference. With stories that span from Sub-Saharan Africa to the Mandela Marketplace in West Oakland, CA – there are certainly some gems that are guaranteed to inspire hope and re-instill an unshakable faith in the human spirit.
For me, the winding down of one year and slow spiral into the next always brings me home to myself. I find myself drawn to an expansive table near a window, a journal, and a good pen and the dark, quiet, pregnant pause of reflection and dreaming. I appreciate the opportunity to look for the good in myself, for the good I’m honored to witness in others on daily basis, and the good that can always be found in the larger world around me. I was glad to have dallied a bit with Spot.Us and Storytellers for Good today, to re-affirm my own unshakable (though often shaken!) faith in the human spirit and to connect with the truth that we can make the world our own, again and again.