If Not Us, Who? If Not Now, When?
This blog was originally published by the Nursing Now Challenge.
My storytelling training experience with People Power Health has been awesome. Many thanks to the Nursing Now Challenge and Sabin Vaccine Institute for making this possible. Sharing stories and experiences with my fellow storytellers from different parts of the world has been incredible. I cannot start my blog without mentioning our wonderful, supportive and dedicated facilitators; Dr. Pedja Stojicic, Sarah Elraheb, and Sam Gonzalez.
So far, we have covered four modules in this training. We started with Introduction to Storytelling, Story of Self, Story of Us, and Story of Now. I am going to share a bit about my Story of Now experience. “If not us, who?” and “If not now, when?” are the questions we are asked when developing this type of storytelling narrative. The Story of Us may have a similar structure to the Story of Self and the Story of Us, but it has two extra ingredients: urgency and a clear ask. The Story of Now must describe a strategy- the plan for how we, as a community, are going to join you in taking action to achieve your vision.
Using the aforementioned two useful Story of Now ingredients, it was fascinating to hear my fellow storytellers narrating their Story of Now built from different backgrounds but with so many common values. Everyone was tasked to tell a story that created a sense of hope and urgency with a clear and specific ask from the audience. When developing the ask, we learnt that it is important to include the who, what, when, and where and by doing so, people know exactly what kind of commitment you are asking for, and what they need to do.
I hope to use this important public narrative and make a difference in the communities I serve. The skills I have learned will support me when discussing issues such as COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, climate change, and teenage pregnancy. I will use the knowledge and skills gained from this training, with support from relevant stakeholders, to address these challenges.
You can also do the same! Spot a gap in your community and be the change that is needed.
If not us, who? If not now, when?
