Storytelling is as old as fire and as relevant as your iPhone.
The stories we tell matter. Every person, every community and every place has a story. Stories shape our
identities, our imagination, each other and how we know the world around us. In fact, humans are storytelling
animals. To change our world, we need to change our stories. It has always been this way. Since the days of our earliest ancestors, our ability to tell, listen to and remember story has been our key skill and conduit for knowledge sharing, communication, expression and most importantly, survival.
identities, our imagination, each other and how we know the world around us. In fact, humans are storytelling
animals. To change our world, we need to change our stories. It has always been this way. Since the days of our earliest ancestors, our ability to tell, listen to and remember story has been our key skill and conduit for knowledge sharing, communication, expression and most importantly, survival.
Jeff's own story exemplifies the powerful impact of stories. Originally from Colombia, Jeff’s connection to the field of sustainability emanated from a keen understanding of cross-cultural and social justice issues.
Jeff describes sustainability as a “crisis of conscience”, saying “once you know about an issue, you can’t not know.” This initial aha moment came while working for The Associated Press at the United Nations Bureau, Geneva. At a UN event, Jeff met a young Kurdish refugee who was advocating for human rights by bravely sharing his story of mutilation and family persecution. Later that same day, Jeff met Yasser Arafat, and through his discussions with both the refugee and the world leader, Jeff was moved by their shared goal of advocating for others through storytelling. At that moment Jeff understood that accomplishing change in the world, and advocating for others, necessitated telling stories effectively and authentically to a wide-range of audiences.
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