Share your stories of gender

Published on 25 June 2019

Want to take part in an innovative storytelling project to promote gender equality?

Get involved in the Living in a Gendered World project and take part in storytelling workshops on gender.

Director Community Wellbeing Karen Stevens said, through the project, residents could share their individual experience of gender, hone their stories and perform them at a free public storytelling event.

“We’re looking to teach the art of storytelling to 18 participants through a series of workshops,” she said.

“The workshops will culminate in a community storytelling night where participants will share their stories. Through storytelling we hope to bring awareness to unconscious rigid gender stereotypes and consequently promote gender equality.”

Ms Stevens said the highlight of the event would be the public performance, where participants will perform a short, personal story at a community storytelling night at the Bluestone Theatre in Kyneton.

“No previous storytelling experience is necessary and participants don’t need to have a story ready to tell, as stories will be developed at the workshops.

“We are looking for people from all walks of life including a mixture of women, men, gender non-conforming people, young people, older people, people with disabilities, and people of diverse cultural backgrounds.”

The storytelling workshops will run once a month in September, October and November and the community storytelling night will be held in early December. The workshops will be facilitated by experienced local facilitator Kate Lawrence from Story Wise.

Storytelling is an ancient human art and a powerful way to explore personal experiences and complex issues. The process of developing a personal story can reveal universal insights and allows the broader community to explore challenging subjects on an emotional and intellectual level.

It is also fun, creative, expressive and meaningful.