The CT Early Childhood Alliance is proud to present:

Part of our Advocacy Academy education series

Storytelling for Advocacy

Free for Alliance members! Scholarships available.

Breakfast & lunch included - Childcare provided free of charge to all registered attendees - Interpretación en español disponible

Our Winter 2025 Advocacy Academy course is:

Storytelling for Advocacy

Saturday, February 1, 2025 | 10 am to 3 pm

Hosted by HRA New Britain, 180 Clinton St., New Britain

This seasonal education series is designed especially for Connecticut residents who want to advocate for causes they care about.

If you want to help make changes that matter, but wish you had someone to show you how it all works, this course is for you.

Best of all, CT Early Childhood Alliance member organizations receive FREE enrollment!

What is

Storytelling for Advocacy?

Storytelling for Advocacy is a one-day workshop that provides the tools and support to develop your own advocacy story, and the preparation to deliver that story confidently in a variety of ways, to a variety of audiences.

Simply put: you have a story that can make a difference for families in Connecticut, and we want to help you tell it.

Why Storytelling?

“Most of us need to listen to the music to understand how beautiful it is. But often that’s how we present statistics: we just show the notes, we don’t play the music.”

— Hans Rosling, physician & author

There’s a misconception that in order to advocate for policy change, a person must be able to recite existing laws from memory and memorize facts and figures off the top of their heads. Statistics and research are certainly important, but they aren’t nearly as effective without stories from actual humans who experience the impact of those statistics to back them up.

Data sets the groundwork for a persuasive message, but story gives people something to relate to.

Meet Your Facilitator

Who better to teach us how to tell a meaningful advocacy story than a Public Folklorist? Holly Hudnall is the Storybanking Coordinator for Kentucky Voices for Health. She has a Master of Arts in Folk Studies with a Certification in Public Folklore from Western Kentucky University. Holly is passionate about helping advocates speak their truth in the name of making a positive impact in their communities, and we are excited to have her share her knowledge and experience with us!

What will you learn in

Storytelling for Advocacy?

This interactive workshop has two main components:

  1. Developing an effective personal advocacy story, and

  2. Delivering an effective personal advocacy story.

Developing

Your Personal Advocacy Story

consists of…

  • Why storytelling is so important when advocating for policy change

  • The components of an impactful personal advocacy story

  • Identifying your story and what you’re hoping to achieve by telling it

  • Step-by-step guidance and support to get your story out of your head and into a narrative structure that resonates with others

Delivering

Your Personal Advocacy Story

consists of…

  • Workshopping your story in small groups, with support from your facilitator and Alliance staff

  • What to expect when sharing your story with others

  • Sharing your story with people of similar and contrasting backgrounds/lived experiences

  • Receiving feedback on delivering your story effectively

  • Deciding how to share: the wide variety of ways you can get your story in front of the people who need to hear it.

Pricing & Additional Info

Registration Details, Scholarship Information, FAQs

Storytelling for Advocacy - Registration Costs

Alliance members receive a set number of free registrations to Storytelling for Advocacy based on their membership level, which is determined by the size/presence of the organization. Members can also purchase additional tickets at a 50% discount.

Non-members can register for Storytelling for Advocacy for $100 per person - or, if you’re a part of an early-childhood related organization, your organization can join us and get your registrations included with the cost of membership!

Storytelling for Advocacy prepares you to share your personal advocacy story any way you want - in a blog post, an op-ed, a video, or by giving public testimony, pictured above.

Financial Assistance

The CT Early Childhood Alliance has secured funding for 10 people who wish to attend Storytelling for Advocacy but whose finances do not allow for the expense. These seats will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Email vanessa@cteca.org to request more information.

FAQs about Storytelling for Advocacy & Advocacy Academy

  • Storytelling for Advocacy is an in-person workshop! Participants will have the opportunity to workshop their stories with their fellow storytellers, and this is best done in an environment that supports face-to-face interactions.

  • No, to respect the privacy of our participants and their right to autonomy over when and how their stories are shared, we will not be recording this workshop. At the end of the day, participants will have an opportunity to share their story in a recording, but this is completely optional. More details will be shared during the workshop.

  • No problem! We can apply your registration payment to your membership dues. Send an email to vanessa@cteca.org to get started.

  • Yes! We have secured funding for 10 scholarship enrollments to Storytelling for Advocacy for those who wish to participate but cannot afford to do so. These seats are given on a first-come, first-served basis. Please email vanessa@cteca.org to apply.

  • Yes! CTECA is hiring licensed childcare staff so that Storytelling for Advocacy participants can have access to high-quality child care for the entirety of the workshop. To make sure we have a sufficient number of care providers, please make sure to complete the childcare portion of the form. Please contact vanessa@cteca.org if you’d like to discuss this further.

Ready to make a difference?

Register Now!

CT Early Childhood Alliance Members:

Check your email for an email for a message containing instructions to access your free registrations!

Non-Members:

You can register for Storytelling for Advocacy at the rate of $100 per person using the “Non-Member Registration” link on the left, or your organization can join the Alliance and save money on registrations using the link on the right!

If you have any questions about membership eligibility, please contact our Manager of Membership & Advocacy, Vanessa Hawke, at vanessa@cteca.org or by phone at 860-703-0057.