Gratitude Stories (Historias de Gratitud) is an initiative that aims to mitigate the effects of quarantine over mental health by creating a web platform where people all over the world can share their stories about how they deal with social distancing and how it has made them think differently about aspects of everyday life. We want to bring people closer from their state of vulnerability through their stories in order to develop empathy, resilience and solidarity in this time of social distancing.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO TELL STORIES
The consequences of social distancing have unimaginable consequences. But right now, when around 2,6 billion people are estimated to be in social distancing, one of the most urgent risks is related with our mental health and the susceptibility to develop depression, psychological trauma and emotional distress as a result of social separation and intimate cohabitation with family members.
When we tell stories about things that happen to us or little successes of our everyday life that somehow impact our lives, we have the possibility of understanding our autobiography and of giving meaning to what we live and share. When we create meaning from our experiences, we have the possibility of understanding the moment we are living in or, at least, of giving meaning to our lives and being capable of self-knowledge and self-control.
IN WHICH FORMATS CAN THE STORIES BE SENT
The stories can be sent in text, audio, image, video, and comic format. If you want to read some tips on how to create your stories, check out our storytelling Kit.
HOW WILL THE STORIES BE UPLOADED
After sending your stories to our email [email protected] or to our social media using the hashtag #HistoriasDeGratitud, we will upload them to our website. All stories will have the credits of those who sent them.
WHO IS PART OF GRATITUDE STORIES
It is an initiative from the Fundación gratitud gratitude, who found its main allies in USAID and Acdi Voca. They made this platform possible. There are secondary allies who helped us finding the narratives: the Fundaciones Ramírez Moreno, Aeiotu, Gimnasio Campestre, Wok, Fundación Mi Sangre, Fundación Origen, Fundación Plan, the Office of the Mayor of Soacha (Alcaldía de Soacha), British Council, Corporación Responder and Unidos en Red.