Storytelling with Appalshop

Meet Appalshop

A unique partnership with Appalshop based in Whitesburg, KY and the Kentucky Diabetes Prevention and Control Program has captured the voices of Eastern Kentuckians as the talk about prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and working to make healthier lifestyle choices, despite the challenges. Click the storybank buttons below.

Learn About Storytelling

What is storytelling?

Storytelling is a highly effective way to communicate with your audience and can be created using multiple formats:

    • Storytelling though social media such  TikTok videos or Youtube Shorts
    • Murals
    • Comic Strips
    • Activity Books
    • Storytelling through Playwriting
    • Newsletter’s & Website Highlights

When choosing a target population, remember, it’s best to get out and talk to them! You can identify your audience by asking some of these questions:

    • What might your audience already know or believe about your topic?
    • Do they have experience with the topic?
    • Do their beliefs align with the facts you know to be true?
    • Do they have strong feelings about the topic?
    • Which social media platforms does your audience use?
 

 

Why use storytelling?

Storytelling helps to engage the audience by connecting in an authentic and emotional way, and by allowing the audience to learn information organically through the experiences of the characters. Storytelling is powerful because it:

  • Plays on emotion – stories sell
  • Helps the audience understand deep root issues, which are often otherwise hard to understand
  • Recognize patterns and concerns of the population
  • It is engaging to the practitioner and participant

Implementing Storytelling

Storytelling requires you ask yourself the following questions before you get started: do you want increase audience awareness, change their attitude, or inspire them to act?

Once you’ve answered those questions, you can begin to create your story by following these steps:

  1. Introduce your protagonist
  2. Open eyes to the problem
  3. Diagnose the situation
  4. Encounter obstacles
  5. Mobilize allies to join the cause- what is your shared goal in this collaboration?
  6. Show cooperation in action- who will help you acheive this goal?
  7. Share the impact
  8. Call to action- what actions should your story motivate them to take?

Call to Action

Whether you’re a healthcare professional, advocate, or someone with lived experience, your voice carries weight. Let’s unite in amplifying our collective stories to drive positive change in diabetes care.

Join us in harnessing the power of storytelling to inspire, educate, and uplift. Together, we can create a ripple effect of change in the diabetes community.

Share your story. Make a difference. Together, we empower. 🌟 #KDNkNOwMorein’24

Briefly describe your story on the contact form below and we will reach out to you.

Thank you for participating in our Call to Action!

To spread the word about our campaign and to have your story known, complete this survey for a” kNOw MORE in ’24 “ tshirt:

kNOw More in ’24 – T-shirt Order Form Survey (surveymonkey.com)

Click on the picture below to download the Storytelling Toolkit.

Donations

Type 2 diabetes affects millions of individuals and their families, workplaces, and the U.S. health care system.

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION

For corporate sponsorship information, please click the button below.