Voices beyond walls: the role of digital storytelling for empowering marginalized youth in refugee camps

In this paper we consider the role of digital storytelling for creative empowerment of marginalized youth, through a threeyear program of workshops conducted in the context of Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We highlight the current situation regarding arts education and cultural production, and the challenging environment experienced by the youth there. We then describe the Voices Beyond Walls program and key lessons learned to suggest novel tools and practices that may support broader adoption of digital storytelling programs for marginalized youth in diverse global settings. Keywords Participatory media, marginalized youth, storytelling, digital video, refugee camps, creative expression, cultural agency

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: ACMIDC
• Authors: Nitin "Nick" Sawhney
• Keywords: ACMIDC 2009, Digital Storytelling, Human Computer Interaction, Marginalized Youth, Refugee Camps