Storytelling for Social Change: Inside Our Winnipeg Community Workshop on Lived Experience and Systemic Barriers

On Friday, October 24, twenty-six community members gathered with The StoryBridge Network for a 60-minute community storytelling workshop titled “Designing Our Shared Future Through Storytelling.” The workshop was presented at the 2025 Gathering of Community-Builders, hosted by the Canadian CED Network (CCEDNet) at St. John's High School in Winnipeg.

Facilitated by Dr. Patlee Creary, Executive Director of StoryBridge, the storytelling for social change session invited participants to step into the lives of four fictional “avatars” and imagine what it would take, at a systems level, to build a more just, connected, and compassionate Winnipeg.

In just an hour, participants moved from listening to lived-experience stories to co-creating long-term visions for change. And if their feedback is any indication, they were not ready for it to end.

“This should have been longer,” one participant wrote.“I would love to see an extended version of this workshop,” another added.

On average, attendees rated the session five out of five stars in our post-session survey, with many asking when they could come back for a deeper dive.

Storytelling for Social Change and Systemic Change

Patlee opened the workshop by grounding everyone in The StoryBridge Network's mission: to empower individuals and communities through storytelling and expressive arts, creating inclusive spaces where every voice is valued and belonging, resilience, and social change can take root.

Rather than beginning with statistics or policy language, participants were invited to connect with the human stories behind some of the most pressing issues in our city. Each table received a “Day in the Life” story for one of four avatars:

• Elsie, a senior navigating isolation and service cuts

• Mateo, a youth working hard to find housing and stability

• Fatima, a newcomer professional facing underemployment and systemic barriers

• David, an individual experiencing homelessness and transitional housing

Supported by StoryBridge board members and volunteers—Rachel E. Smith, Chantella Morgan-Peart, Monique Burke, and Christine Hanlon—table groups dug into the challenges and resilience woven through each story.

One participant later shared that they were “impressed with the use of lived storytelling” and compared it to the motivational interviewing techniques they use in their own work. For them, hearing a fully developed story—rather than just a list of symptoms or goals—sparked new ideas about how they could better support their clients:

“I could see how lived-experience storytelling might actually be more effective for my client than the approaches I am currently using.”

Part 1: Empathy and Root Causes

The first micro-practice centered on empathy and root cause analysis. Participants formed story circles in small groups, introduced themselves, and then listened as one person read their avatar’s story aloud. Using prompts like: “What is one word you would use to describe [Avatar’s Name]’s day?” and “Where did you see moments of resilience, hope, or strength?” participants reflected on the emotional and practical realities their avatar was facing.

From there, groups moved into mapping the “why” behind each story. On flip charts, they brainstormed the systems and structures that shaped their avatar’s daily experiences—housing shortages, underfunded transit, systemic racism, credential recognition barriers, gaps in mental health services, and more.

This shift—from “What is happening to this person?” to “Why is this happening in our community?”—was a powerful turning point. Several participants noted how this framing made it easier to separate individual blame from structural responsibility, while still honouring the agency and resilience of the people whose lives the avatars represented.

Many also commented that they could see themselves or their clients in these stories. The avatars did not feel abstract or theoretical; they felt familiar.

“I could empathize and relate to the avatars because they reflected different aspects of my own experience,” one participant wrote.“They also felt very similar to the clients I work with every day,” another added.

Part 2: Imagining 2035 – A Future We Want to Build

The second part of the workshop invited participants to shift gears—from diagnosing problems to envisioning possibilities.

Each group was asked to write a new “Day in the Life” story set 10 years in the future, in 2035, in which the systemic barriers their avatar faced had been meaningfully addressed. What would Mateo’s day look like if he had safe housing and meaningful work? How might Fatima move through the city if her credentials were recognized and her expertise valued? What would it feel like for Elsie to age in a community that prioritized her mobility, relationships, and dignity? What kind of support would surround David if housing, healthcare, and income supports were coordinated rather than fragmented?

Participants were encouraged to be specific and grounded:

• Not just “Mateo has a good job,” but what he does, who he works with, and how he feels at the end of his shift.

• Not just “Fatima is happy,” but what joy looks like in her daily life—teaching, mentoring, leading, creating.

These future stories became the long-term impact column of a shared Theory of Change process: a clear picture of the kind of community we are collectively working toward.

Part 3: Building the Pathway of Change

Once those future stories were written, groups worked backward to identify what would need to happen along the way:

• Medium-term outcomes (4–6 years): new housing models, streamlined credential recognition, culturally safe services, expanded transit options, coordinated support networks.

• Short-term outcomes (1–3 years): pilot programs, policy shifts, new collaborations, training initiatives, and community-driven projects.

• Interventions and activities: the concrete steps organizations, governments, and community members could take—such as advocacy campaigns, program design, cross-sector partnerships, and funding strategies.

As participants mapped their ideas onto a Theory of Change template, they began to see how their everyday work connects to bigger systemic shifts. For some, it meant recognizing that a program they run could be a crucial “short-term outcome” that paves the way for something larger. For others, it helped clarify which alliances they need to build or which policy changes they want to push for.

In the final share-back, each group highlighted one key intervention they saw as a potential game-changer—from Housing First approaches and culturally safe mental health services to more responsive public transit and streamlined support for newcomers’ credentials.

Across the different avatars, common themes emerged on the central whiteboard: dignity, inclusion, access, coordination, and equity.

What Participants Told Us

Beyond the rich conversations in the room, the post-session feedback offers a clear picture of how this Winnipeg community storytelling workshop landed with participants:

• Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Participants rated the workshop highly, commenting on both the facilitation and the engaging format.

• “We wish it were longer.” The most frequent suggestion was to extend the session. Many participants wanted more time to deepen their Theory of Change maps, share across tables, and explore how to apply the tools in their own organizations. Several specifically requested an extended or multi-session format.

• Avatars that felt real. Participants appreciated that the avatars reflected real-world complexity. They recognized their own stories, as well as those of their clients, in the narratives of Elsie, Mateo, Fatima, and David. This relatability made it easier to move from empathy to action.

• Lived storytelling as a powerful practice. For professionals used to more clinical or transactional tools—like motivational interviewing—the workshop illustrated how lived-experience storytelling can open different kinds of doors. One participant said the session helped them see how storytelling might deepen trust and connection in their own practice.

What Comes Next

For The StoryBridge Network, this workshop confirmed something we deeply believe: when people are given the chance to work with stories—not just statistics—they can imagine and design more humane, effective systems. This is the heart of our storytelling for social change approach.

It also gave us a clear message from our community: People are hungry for more time, more depth, and more opportunities to connect narrative, empathy, and strategy.

In response, we are exploring:

• Extended versions of the “Designing Our Shared Future Through Storytelling” module

• Multi-session series where organizations can develop a fuller Theory of Change connected to their own programs and communities

• Additional story-based tools and resources that help teams integrate lived-experience perspectives into planning, policy, and practice

As Patlee reminded participants in her closing remarks, the stories of Elsie, Mateo, Fatima, and David are grounded in realities that many people in Winnipeg live every day. These stories are pathways to a better future built on the foundations of dignity, inclusion, access, and systemic change.

Our work now is to keep building those pathways together.