Intergenerational Storytelling Project Workshops
We kicked off our very first Intergenerational Storytelling Project workshop with a group of second graders from Pershing Elementary. At the start of our time together, we played a little virtual treasure hunt, where students found objects from around their homes and shared them with us. Our final prompt asked our students to bring back something that was given to them by someone they loved. All kinds of items were brought back: a pillow, a card, and a blanket to name a few, but each item brought comfort and joy to its recipient. Spreading those feelings of comfort and joy is exactly what our Intergenerational Storytelling Project is all about, for both young people and their elders. Right now, when we are asked to be physically distant from some of the people we care about the most, it can be hard to bring about those feelings. That’s why Metro Theater Company is challenging young people across the region to step up and be leaders. We want them to reach out and ask someone they know to tell a story. Finding those ways to connect and interact is critical for us all right now. And there is something so special about sharing a story from one generation to the next.
I got to participate in this project with my cousin, who is five and my grandmother who is in her nineties. My grandmother has been isolated from friends and family since the middle of March. We miss her. I can’t imagine what it must be like for her, but I know that the simple picture that my cousin drew based on a story that she has told since my mother was a little girl put a smile on her face, and a sense of pride in her voice that I will never forget. When things are difficult, many of us feel an urge to build up the walls around us, but breaking down those walls and reaching out to family for the Intergenerational Storytelling Project is one of the best experiences I have had during this time. I’m so glad I participated, and I hope you will join us in submitting your own project!
— Gen Zoufal, Resident Teaching Artist
(Banner photos: Simply Loved Photography)
