Not a Brown Paper Bag or Shopping Trolley

Digital Media Storytelling With People Who Have Experienced Homelessness

Abstract

This article considers how digital storytelling can be used to assist people who have experienced homelessness to tell their stories. As a medium embedded in social action/ human rights pedagogy, the authors conclude that it can be a useful technique when working with marginalised communities, wanting to effect change at a societal level. The layering of narrative with symbolic imagery can allow the owner of the story to find their voice whilst also placing aspects of their experiences into the public sphere. The process demands that the audience respond to what they see and hear, placing an onus on them to be part of the solution. However this paper also considers some of the complexities of art making concerned with empowerment, and recognises the importance of seeing art making with vulnerable communities as an experience on a continuum.