Digital Storytelling for Advocacy and Social Change
A 4-week training program designed for Egyptian minority voices
Format:
- 4 sessions (1 hour each)
- Once a week starting in September 2025, over Zoom
- After the training, participants will have a follow-up with the REDWORD team to produce high-quality stories.
- Led by: Rania Shalabi, a journalist, media trainer, and digital storyteller
- Moderated by: Mostafa Al-A’sar, the Executive Director of REDWORD
- Language: Arabic
- Number on trainee: Five
- Modest Honorarium for every participant’s time and efforts: $150
Who It’s For:
This is for Egyptian activists, community members, or young leaders from underrepresented groups — especially those who already feel they have something to say but need the tools to say it powerfully and effectively. We encourage young individuals who belong to, or are interested in, Egyptian minority groups—whether living in Egypt or in the diaspora—to apply.
How to apply:
Send us an email to Pitches@redword.ca
- Introduce yourself in less than 100 words.
- Tell us in less than 100 words about minority issue you’re interested in working on it and how this training could help you.
- Deadline: Friday, 15 August 2025
We will reach out only to accepted participants by the end of August.
How It Works:
Session 1 – Why Storytelling Matters
- What makes a story stick — and why stories move people more than facts
- Global and local examples of digital storytelling for impact
- Short exercise: “Your story in 60 seconds”
Session 2 – Building Your Story
- How to structure a story that resonates
- Finding your voice: personal vs political
- Choosing your medium: video, audio, reels, visual
- Group activity: sketch your story arc
Session 3 – Reaching the Right People
- Where to publish, how to get seen
- Understanding platforms, algorithms, and how to stand out
- Reframing your story for digital attention without losing depth
Session 4 – From Story to Action
- Linking your story to a cause or campaign
- Ethics, safety, and storytelling boundaries
- Final exercise: present your short digital story for feedback
By the End, Participants Will…
- Know how to structure and share a story that drives advocacy
- Understand how digital platforms work — and how to work with them
- Leave with a first version of their own advocacy story
- Feel more confident using media to speak for their communities
About the trainer:
Rania Al Shalabi: a Jordanian Palestinian Journalist, presenter, and producer with over a decade of experience leading news bulletins, political programs, and special coverage across France 24, BBC Arabic, and Roya TV. Known for sharp on-air interviews, in-depth talk shows, and high-impact segments on war, human rights, and social justice. Committed to press freedom, refugee narratives, and feminist storytelling. Skilled at developing original formats that speak to both local and global audiences — across TV, podcasts, and digital media.
About the moderator:
Mostafa Al-A’sar: the Executive Director of REDWORD for Human Rights & Freedom of Expression. An award-winning journalist and researcher based in Toronto, Canada. His writings appear on prestigious international publications including The Globe & Mail, The Walrus, New Lines Magazine, The New Arab, The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy among others.
