How Digital Storytelling Helps Youth in Gallup, New Mexico Share Their Education Experiences

In March 2026, ATD Fourth World New Mexico expanded its use of Digital Storytelling as a tool that enables people to share stories that are important to them by organizing a youth workshop in partnership with the Octavia Fellin Public Library and GallupARTS. A previous workshop had been held with adults from the Gallup community in 2025 on the theme of education, but the important voices of young people and their experiences of education were missing. This week-long workshop provided an opportunity to fill that gap and create a space for youth to tell their own education stories.

Digital Storytelling is a participatory methodology that gives marginalized people a voice and a platform to share their experiences through personal narratives. These stories can resonate with others who have faced similar challenges and serve as powerful tools for advocacy. The process also allows individuals to take ownership of experiences that may have involved struggle, exclusion, or oppression.

Five young people, ranging in age from 12 to 18, participated in the workshop. The week began with activities designed to build trust among participants and create a safe and supportive environment for sharing personal stories. Local artist Tasha Nez was invited to spark the creative process by helping participants create autobiographical artworks using a variety of arts and crafts techniques. This exercise stimulated their creativity and helped them identify the specific stories they wanted to tell. From there, they wrote scripts, selected images and photographs to accompany their narratives, and learned how to use Canva’s video tools to create their digital stories.

To conclude the workshop, the young people invited family members to a premiere screening of their digital stories. The presentations were met with great pride and appreciation from parents, grandparents, siblings, and other loved ones in attendance. The stories were also screened at the local movie theater in early May. Another public screening, which will include a facilitated dialogue and discussion with the young storytellers, is planned for this summer.