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Are you ready to unlock your impact story?

Change Makers Community Storytellers Program

August 24 – October 5

Applications close August 12 

Presented by:

Banyule City Council

Join the team at Digital Storytellers for a 6-week online storytelling journey, where you’ll learn how to FIND, MAKE, EDIT and SHARE your social enterprise story in powerful ways, using smartphones and affordable tech. A limited number of community organisations will be selected for the program. Are you ready to unlock your impact story? 

Learn to craft a compelling story, to engage your audience and spark action.

Get hands on with accessible technology and learn techniques to capture great footage and audio.

Get step-by-step guidance on how to edit footage on your smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Discover best practice for sharing your story far and wide, through both online and offline channels.

At the end of the journey, your story will be screened at the Change Makers Film Launch Night at Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub, on the 21st of October.

Apply Now.

Applications close August 12.

The program…

  • The course is divided into four modules – FIND, MAKE, EDIT & SHARE and runs over 6-weeks (see below), with weekly challenges and tasks to submit.
  • Each week, you’ll attend a 1-hour webinar, to guide you through the storytelling journey, including clarification of weekly tasks, Q&A, troubleshooting, sharing participant insights and group feedback
  • You’ll also have access to the Stories for Impact Online learning portal, with video tutorials, frameworks and examples to guide you through the filmmaking process
  • You’ll receive written feedback on your weekly tasks from the expert team at Digital Storytellers

Apply Now.

At the end of the program you’ll have…

  • A polished, original story about your project or organisation which will be screened at the  Change Makers Film Launch at the Ivanhoe Cultural Hub on the 21st of October. 
  • Tools and frameworks to craft, produce, edit and share powerful stories which touch hearts, shift minds and spark audiences to action
  • Techniques for capturing high-quality interviews, pieces to camera and other footage with smartphones and affordable technology.
  • A professional quality microphone, for shooting with your smartphone 
  • Access to a professional (and user-friendly) editing program 
  • Connection with a community of sustainability organisations in your area 
  • 12-months access to all of the program materials

Apply Now.

What others have said:

  • I absolutely loved the course! The programme brought different people with common goals together, providing a creative and inspiring setting to extend our storytelling skills. The process from story canvassing to filming and editing was much more straightforward than I anticipated and I found the whole experience very empowering. Kim and Tania were wonderful facilitators and the ongoing support was greatly appreciated and much needed… Seeing our shorts up on the big screen was also a great bonus to the programme!

    - Kat YoungCERES

  • I couldn't fault this workshop! It was run by experienced, capable facilitators who made everyone feel comfortable - even those who were nervous about the tech side. We got an excellent grounding in all aspects of making a story for impact and as a result our organisation now has a 'Digital Storytelling Team' of very keen volunteers ready to put it all into practice! Thank you for running such an excellent workshop.

    - KateMid Canterbury Timebank

  • A course where the skills are demonstrated beautifully by teachers as you learn. Adult learning with the true flexibility, support and accessibility that is needed at this time. Second to none content - top quality information and support. All available to me in rural Queensland.

    - KellyRCS Australia

  • The Stories for Impact course provided a wonderful opportunity to learn how to use mobile technology for the greater good. It stirred my creative juices, excited my want for new ways in which to carry on my work and it added to my skill set dragging me (not too reluctantly) into realising what a great tool this is for storytelling on multiple levels and how it can be used to produce meaningful work that otherwise might never be seen by a wider audience. I am so empowered by the skills I learned in this course.

    - Vivenne BentonThe Australian Living Earth Centre

  • “I enjoyed seeing the end results of everyone’s work (the videos we all made were excellent) and how practical and interactive the course was. I was most surprised that a total newbie like me could actually come away after 2 days with an actual clip that’s actually half-decent and feel totally inspired to create some more!”

    - PennyPathfinders

  • Really enjoyed playing around and experimenting with different equipment and watching other material for inspiration. It’s hard to say what I enjoyed ‘most’ because it was all so so friggen awesome!

    - Gabrielle Grace Walk Sew Good

  • I attended a 3-hour workshop with the lovely Natasha and Julia as part of Sydney StartUp Week. Packed in as much as possible in 3 hours and left with loads of storytelling tips using basic equipment (iPhone, cheap microphones, dslrs). Would highly recommend. Thank you.

    - Madeleine WilsonLaureate Education Services Australia Company

Check out what past Stories For Impact participants have made

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FAQs

How much does the course cost? 

This course is being offered FREE by Banyule City Council 

(The total course value is $1,300  AUD per organisation, including webinars, access to the learning portal, and support and access to editing software.)

What are the key dates to take note of? 

  • Tuesday, August 12 –  Applications close!
  • Tuesday, August 24 – Program begins
  • Tuesday, October 5 – Program ends and final films due

How much time will I need to commit? 

This is a tricky question as it will completely depend on the story you are creating and your current skill level. However, the following is an estimate of how your time will be spent.

Week  Lesson  Task  Time commitment
(excluding webinars)
1 Find Your Story  Story Canvas              approx. 2-3 hours 
2 Make Your Story Interview questions, shot list, practice footage approx. 2-3 hours 
3 None  Film your story!  Anywhere from 2 hrs to 1 day, depending on complexity of story and locations
4 Edit Your Story 1 Edit 1: interviews and cutaways  approx. 4 hours 
5 Edit Your Story 2  Edit 2: Add music, titles and transitions  approx. 4 hours 
6 Share Your Story    Simple outreach strategy  & submit finalised film approx. 4 hrs

When will the webinars be held? 

We will be scheduling the webinars on a Tuesday. However, we’ll run a Doodle poll with successful participants to finalise a time.

What equipment and software do I need to participate? 

Equipment:

  • Your smartphone, tablet or camera
  • A laptop, smartphone or tablet capable of running one of the software options below.
  • RODE Smartlav Microphone – provided to successful applicants!

Software:  

  • Kinemaster (smartphones and tablets)
  • Filmora Wondershare (computer/laptop)

*Note – this software will be provided to you FREE for the duration of the program*

How many of my team members can participate? 

We recommend that you nominate two team members to participate in the program. We recommend this to be a combination of core team members, who know your story deeply, but also involving other team members who may be more interested in participating in the “tech” side of things (e.g. filming, and editing). They should also be able to commit the time allocated (see above). You could also consider volunteers, interns or student placements, or others particularly interested in digital media, who might get value out of participating in the course and learning the skills

Want to know more?

Reach out to workshops@digitalstorytellers.com.au – but hurry! Applications close August 12

Apply Now.

Applications close August 12th.