Digital Storytelling with Refugee Populations
Digital Storytelling has been used to help refugee populations deal with the trauma of the conflict in their home country that precipitated their relocation, the crises of their time in refugee camps and the difficulty of relocating in a new country with no family, friends and totally immersed in a new culture they do not understand.
Digital Storytelling can be a cathartic process (telling the stories of their homeland and the possible trauma they have experienced) as well as an excellent tool to introduce new language and technology to immigrants. |
CultureRefugee's are in a difficult position. They have fled their homes and their culture in an effort to survive and provide a better life for their families. One of the major problems refugees face is loss of identity. They feel they are expected to immerse themselves in their new culture and leave their old one behind. Refugees need an outlet to explore and celebrate their culture and diversity.
Judith Rance-Roney (2008) explores the power of using digital stories in shaping an understanding of culture, as well as a powerful way to incorporate language acquisition for Refugees and English Language Learners. She argues that the digital storytelling process is nonlinear, and the process itself encourages skills such as revision, editing, and practicing pronunciation through re-recording. In producing a digital story, she reminds us “For English Language Learners, producing a digital story engages them in creating, using, and perfecting all of their emerging language skills in remarkable synergy” (Rance-Roney, 2008). This article also outlines several specific projects that promote cultural understanding around identity, concluding that digital stories also prove to be a platform for students to explore feelings about their own culture and those of others. |
ConflictThe use of Digital Storytelling as a means of dealing with trauma and conflict is becoming more mainstream, especially with refugee's. Most refugee's have witnessed atrocities those of us in North America can not even imagine. Most refugee children when introduced to storytelling tell stories of crises and the story often ends with death. Psychologists who witnessed these patterns introduced storytelling and digital storytelling as a means for refugees to deal with these memories and then slowly migrate towards digital stories that are less about trauma. The important part is to allow refugees to deal with these events and emotions in order to allow closure and the self reckoning they have moved on. It is also important to allow refugees to acknowledge feelings of guilt because they managed to escape but many members of their families likely did not. Refugees deal with guilt, fear and for many post traumatic stress on top of the stressors of moving to a new country.
“Stories are more than just good for us—they are essential to survival.” —Jason Ohler, Digital Storytelling in the Classroom, p. 9 Digital Story telling holds unique potential, however, as a literacy-building tool for children with refugee status, whose lives have been disrupted by politi- cal con icts, ethnic strife, and war. The disruption typically includes extended stays in refugee camps, limited access to quality formal education, and minimal opportunity to develop the types of school- related skills required to thrive in North American classrooms, all factors that compound the difficulties implicit in studying in an additional language. (Emert, 2014) |
Language AcquisitionRefugee's draw upon their own experience and social cultural identities to create digital stories; in this process, they are given opportunities to become competent in new literacies. Skinner (2008) bases her claims on the idea that literacy is a social practice, and reminds us that 21st Century literacy skills require “transversals across print and non-print based formats”. In digital storytelling, there are diverse opportunities to scaffold foundation literacies such as: the writing process, story comprehension, reading and writing fluency, and vocabulary. Skinner (2008), also reminds us of the motivation factor for refugees to use digital stories to develop identify and language skills, as they are able to express themselves through multimodalities. The digital story itself is a piece that can be created and then shared, allowing opportunity for peer feedback and reflection, along with further dialogue and language practice between students. Lastly, Skinner (2008), emphasizes the potential digital stories have to connect students to their global communities where they can be active participants in the sharing process.
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