Coding Girls in Mozambique: three training sessions on storytelling
“To be a person is to have a story to tell,” wrote Karen Blixen, one of the most original authors of twentieth century literature. Narrating one’s story is not simply an act of communication, but also a profound expression, a reflection of our identity and values. Stories are a powerful tool for expressing emotions, transmitting values, and connecting to others. In particular, learning to tell a story can be a tool to help youth develop essential communicational skills, but also critical thinking, creativity, and empathy.
"This is why, as part of Programme Coding Girls in Mozambique, two of the three days of coaching training held last week were dedicated to storytelling techniques," explains Elisabetta Gramatica who coordinates the project with the support of Project Manager Ilaria Graziano.
On Monday, March 25, the ten future Mozambiquan coaches met with Cecilia Stajano, Community Coordinator for the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, who held a brief introductory meeting on the history and value of Project Coding Girls, conceived ten years ago to inspire youth, but especially women, to pursue technical-scientific subjects.
On Wednesday, March 27, training began on the art of storytelling. In the first meeting, Coach Nicoletta Vulpetti introduced the young coaches to the meaning of storytelling, a journey into the origins of this technique and recent success examples. The day was dedicated to reflection and sharing opinions, allowing the participants to open up and share their stories. Stories of friendship, like that shared by Isabel, stories of emotions, like Tarik’s, stories about journeys, but also stories based on simple objects with a special value, like Alice’s earrings or Prince’s fountain pen. Different, unique stories united by a reason that mankind has always shared: to raise emotions.
On Friday, March 29, for the third and final appointment, the ten trainee coaches put the storytelling techniques into practice, using digital tools. With the help of Lara Forgione, the young Mozambiquans, divided into groups, developed and narrated stories using Scratch, a software for the creation of interactive stories, games, and animations, a great way to encourage youth to experiment with new forms of creativity and communication.
Thus, we can sum up this intense week of training and exchange between Italy and Mozambique with a quote suggested to us by Nicoletta and pronounced by Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones: “What unites people? Stories. There is nothing more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can vanquish it.”
Best of luck to our ten young Programme Coding Girls in Mozambique coaches!
