friday story, human storytelling in troubled times
what did we do?
Since March 2020, Friday Story has sent out a weekly email with thoughtful, useful and interesting stories to local authorities and beyond. The aim is to connect people through stories. Friday Story showcases diverse situations and the relationships between people who participate in social care. The project hopes to recognise the intrinsic value of everybody's story and centre on lived experience and oral traditions that help us to consider other ways of knowing through the practice of sharing stories. Friday Story is not trying to function as a platform for case studies or direct best practice, but rather it is an exercise in connecting people to people and recognising their experiences. Nevertheless, important themes have emerged, including young people's rights, anti-racist practice, and parent inclusion in particular..
who is involved?
The story-tellers, the Camden community, the readers, the story-writer
what happened?
Since it’s inception three years ago, the project hopes to have helped to develop and strengthen the culture of relationship-based working. Friday Story Live events bring together parents, young people, social workers, and professionals of all types to share stories, build trust, and see the mutual intentions of people doing their best. The stories shared in this project are often powerful and thought-provoking, and they highlight the challenges that people face in their lives. The context of statutory child protection and the exercise of state power is often hidden in the need for confidentiality and coloured by a background of mistrust and community suspicion. The project has received feedback from people all across the UK who have shared their own stories. The stories shared in Friday Story explore the multitude of experiences, truths, assumptions, and constructs that accompanied the helper and helped through the first fifteen months of the pandemic. Friday Story is an excellent initiative that aims to shift the narrative about social work by sharing human stories. The project is ongoing and is helping to develop and strengthen the culture of relationship-based working. The stories shared in Friday Story Live events and the weekly emails have highlighted the challenges that people face in their lives, and they provide a powerful and thought-provoking insight into the world of social care. The project serves as a reminder that everybody's story has an intrinsic value, and it highlights the importance of recognising lived experiences and oral traditions that help us to consider other ways of knowing through the practice of sharing stories. Check them out on twitter @familygroupmeet #CamdenFridayStory