“If Not Us” centers on a multi-generational digital storytelling project of the same name.
Last fall, the Rocky Mountain/Midwest division of Center for Digital Storytelling, civic activism organization Warm Cookies of the Revolution and Denver’s Buntport Theatre began collaborating on the project. Through a series of workshops, the organizations collected stories reflective of times when people stood up for themselves, wished they had stood up for themselves or witnessed another person standing up for something. Narratives primarily focused on issues such as human and civil rights, gender and sexual orientation discrimination and gender issues.
From CPTV12 communication director Pam Parker:
“A big part of [CPTV12’s] work is focused around student engagement and education as a civil right. When we learned about the “If Not Us” collaboration, we knew we wanted to tell the story to a larger audience, to show the importance of standing up and how it can be deeply empowering. The work done by the Center for Digital Storytelling, Warm Cookies of the Revolution, Buntport Theater and East High School was really important and meaningful in a personal way to their communities.”
The workshops also inspired a play that premiered at East High School last November.
