That’s how one inmate ended his digital story. He was an athlete who was at the peak of his career and a face in Singapore’s world of sports. It took only one offense to shatter his dreams.
He lost everything but not his heart – the heart of a champion. He doesn’t know what’s next for him, but he’s not giving up the hope that there’s life after prison. All these became clearer as he went through the process of storytelling which invited him to journey into his heart.
His story and the stories of other inmates – we will remember for a long time.
The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) digital storytelling workshop showcase was for the DSA team a heart gripping way to bring 2011 to a close. It was hard to keep our eyes dry when we listened to them bare their hearts through their stories.
One inmate said, “The workshop has helped me a lot. I learned to use Audacity and MovieMaker. It also taught me to express and tell my story through a video. It is really useful because I am a shy boy and I haven’t told my parents how much I love them. But after the workshop, I did. Through a video.”
We enjoyed their great sense of humour. It was beautiful and redeeming to see how they are still able to see beyond their current situation and to hold on to hopes and dreams; and to desire to be better people.
The pilot project workshop was to explore how DSA can support SPS’ mission to help offenders rehab, renew, restart. We hope to see digital storytelling become an on-going programme to help inmates learn useful computer skills, gain confidence in writing and expressing themselves, getting in touch with their feelings, and reconnecting with their families, and integrate back to society.
“When we tell and listen to stories, we can almost feel our souls breathing fully and deeply. Our capacity to see options, to visualize possibilities, to imagine expands and we are somehow more alive.” – Michael Parent
Every good product or business has a great story. This is an opportunity in one full day to discover your own story, the hidden power of metaphors and exploring both oral and digital techniques in the retelling of your own tale.
Session 1 /3 hours/ Johnny Gillet
The great stories passed down through time are metaphors for all human experiences. This is what makes them so compelling. Johnny Gillet revels in metaphor. He retells tales from the past, from distant lands and then weaves new myths to speak from his own life experience. Through stories, exercises, creative activities and lots of laughs, Johnny will enable participants to firstly identify their own true stories then marry them with their own natural metaphors. Introducing the ‘storyweb’, he will show how experiment with narratives and how this model can be used to strengthen retelling.
Session 2 /3 hours/ Angeline Koh and Carl Rognstad
Nothing is more satisfying and memorable than to see a story realised. This part of the workshop will introduce participants to the process of producing a one-minute video that powerfully communicate their personal story with their own voice and image/s. The workshop is a condensed version of the Premium digital storytelling workshop which can be learned at a 3-day workshop or learned by modules. Participants will have a hands on experience developing Story, Voice, Digital Skills (iMovie/Movie Maker), Images, and Design. (Please see note below on what to bring)
Showcase / Kennelists
The event will create a space to have your story appreciated and showcased by Kennel’s greater community of honest, accepting and diverse individuals.
iPad2 (and above), MacBook or PC Laptop (please inform us what you will be using)
Pre-installed with iMovie* (iPad and Mac) or MovieMaker (Windows)** or any other video creating software that you are already familiar with
Three to 10 photos scanned and placed in a folder on your desktop
Earphones
* iPad2 (and above) users need to purchase and pre-install iMovie App from iTunes.
** For Windows 7 users, please note that the Windows Live Movie Maker which comes as part of the pre-installed PC software is highly automated and stripped of many of the functions that is available in the older version Movie Maker. It allows little control when making your movie. Click HERE to download and install the free Windows Movie Maker 2.6 version which works on Windows 7.
“Sometimes when you think that things are going to happen, it does. So Alexander coming to our lives was a surprise and a glorious miracle… Our little blank slate taught us something… some lessons on fun, simple pleasures, and taking life seriously…”
A digital story produced by Arlene Wu in a digital storytelling workshop conducted by DSA, Singapore, 14-16 Dec 2011.
“The day your mommy and I waited for…I drove your mom to the hospital. Will the procedure be fine? How will you look like? Anxiety filled our minds. Twelve hours later, voila! You were born.”
A digital story produced by Daniel Lau in a digital storytelling workshop conducted by DSA, Singapore, 14-16 Dec 2011.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong quotes Angeline Koh in his National Day Rally speech, 14 August 2011. A step forward for Digital Storytelling!
In his National Day Rally speech on 14 August 2011, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong quotes DSA's founder Angeline Koh's Telling the Singapore Story. The article which emphasizes the need for Singapore to capture stories was published in the Today papers on 10 August 2011.
"This workshop has been a watershed moment for me and I believe for many others also..." - Victor Toh, Singapore
About the stories
The stories in this site are owned by the storytellers and used with their kind permission. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Digital Storytelling Asia and are posted for your enjoyment and for educational purposes.
Thank you storytellers for sharing your stories.
DSA is a partner of Singapore Memory Project a national movement to
collect 5 million stories by 2015
when Singapore turns 50
