Willie Nelson

Stories of Our City: Using True Stories to Cultivate Peace

Stories of Our City weekly podcasts began August 31, 2009

Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 2009- Stories of Our City, a peace initiative using true stories to cultivate community and understanding, celebrates 2,000 downloads. The podcast aims to use the stories of everyday people to build peace and reconciliation. The project, now underway in Beirut, Lebanon, uses stories of our common humanity to erase the boundaries and labels that divide. StoriesofOurCity.com

The project features a free weekly story podcast as an effective method of uniting people all over the globe. “We believe that because stories play a powerful role in all cultures, they can convey emotion and truth in a way that nothing else can. We are excited about using story, a universal and significant tool, to foster understanding throughout the globe,” said Katy Gilbert, co-founder and project manager of Stories of Our City:Beirut.

“Dehumanization is at the heart of most, if not all, violence.  Making situations into “us vs. them”-when “us” is good and “them” is evil – is the simplest way to ensure that we are always in the right.

It is our goal at Stories of Our City to replace these categories and labels of “us” and “them” with voices and stories of real people. To bring humanity front and center, where it can’t be ignored. Because it is only when we begin to see people as humans, not objects of good or evil, that we can begin to take steps to end conflict.”

This project utilizes stories to foster understanding and build on our common humanity. “These stories allow people all over the world to visit with people via the internet, to hear their experiences in their own words and to see them as fellow human beings, as part of our global family.” Gilbert adds, “We invite people to get involved in the story of peace by listening and sharing their stories.”

A new story is posted each week on the website StoriesofOurCity.com which also features pictures as well as information about the project. The website is also home to a daily journal giving the progress of the project. For more information visit StoriesofOurCity.com
or email storiesofOurCity@gmail.com

Contact Information:
Katy Gilbert
208.608.5734 or 70 820 936
StoriesofOurCity@gmail.com
Stories of Our City, Podcasts beginning Aug 2009

Background

The Project’s Beginnings

Co-founder, Katy Gilbert was in Beirut when the war between Hezbollah and Israel broke out in 2006.  Her experiences prompted her to study Arabic and reconciliation. After a year and half in Jordan studying Arabic, she partnered with Bart Cochran of Leap Charities in Idaho, who shared her vision of using stories to build empathy.

Because of global access and visual anonymity, podcasts became the vehicle of choice for the project.  After months of organizing details and creating interest in the project, Gilbert left for Beirut where she continues to work collecting stories for the project.

-Stories of Our City is committed to “cultivating community and understanding by sharing true stories from around the globe.”

- The free weekly podcast is available both on the website StoriesofOurCity.com or in Itunes.

The Project’s Next Step

A weekly podcast featuring a true story will be posted on the website and in Itunes.  The project is currently focusing on Lebanon and the Middle East but plans to spread all over the globe giving people a voice for their stories.

Get involved with the project by subscribing to the weekly podcast in Itunes or on the website StoriesofOurCity.com. Also on the website, you can share your story and how the project has changed perspectives in your community.

Project Update:
Since the weekly podcasts began in Aug, 2009, there has been over 2,000 downloads. The project continues to be a unique voice of peace by giving the people of the globe a voice to communicate their story.

Our project includes:

-A free weekly story podcast as an effective method of uniting people all over the globe

-Information on the culture and people of the Middle East

-A daily updated blog noting the progress of the project.

Contact Information:
Katy Gilbert
208.608.5734 or 70 820 936
StoriesofOurCity@gmail.com

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.