Stories for Impact Workshops
This is a two-day digital storytelling workshop aimed to enable you, Learning Champions in Ōtautahi Christchurch, to create your own digital stories, using smartphones and other affordable equipment.
In partnership with Digital Storytellers, this workshop series give participants the skills to FIND, MAKE, EDIT & SHARE impactful stories for projects, causes and organisations. This is part of the #learningwithstories stream.
Over two days, participants will complete a short practice video, from start to finish and have the skills to continue creating stories in the future.
What participants will learn:
How to use the Story Canvas tool to brainstorm story ideas and develop a powerful story strategy
Narrative frameworks
How to use mobile phones, cameras and accessible technology to film interviews and cutaways
Authentic story listening and engagement
How to capture better quality audio
How to pull footage together and edit on smartphones, tablets or computers
2026 dates will be announced soon. Watch this space!
“This workshop transformed my technical skills and confidence in making videos and has motivated me to push for more video creation in my organisation.”
Photo by Kai J. Lee, Subtledream
Photos by Jonny Knopp, Peanut Productions
“I stepped into your workshop uncertain. From hesitant keystrokes to a digital story with heart—I’m grateful for the creative spark your workshop lit within me. My video became more than a job application; it was a declaration of who I am and where I’m headed.”
“I have been videoing every chance I get – this workshop hands down is one of the best two days I have spent professionally in years. It has given me confidence to go out there and look at how I can share what is happening in the Health Precinct with a completely different tool up my sleeve. I am still very novice, my videos aren’t by any means perfect, but because I have the resources/slideshow/video tutorials at my fingertips following the training, I can brush up my skills before an event and feel really confident to go out there and give it my best.
My workplace is really supportive of me, and welcome my trial and error with these because it is better than anything they can use at present (which is nothing). To date since our class two months ago, I’ve have completed two other videos, and am working on a third. It has been really impactful and also has opened me up to opportunities within my work (people are asking me to take on new projects)
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About the Facilitator:
Erica Austin is a versatile community strategist, facilitator, storyteller, and experience curator who empowers people and organisations through strengths-based growth and inclusive culture. With a background in architecture, Erica designs transformative experiences (both virtual and in-person) that foster belonging, spark collaboration, and lead to collective impact.
Her storytelling practice helps groups surface shared narratives, deepen understanding, and catalyse meaningful change. Erica has travelled across Aotearoa New Zealand delivering these workshops at conferences and with communities including Food Resilience Network, DIA, Mid Canterbury Timebank and most recently in partnership with Seed Waikato as part of Hapori.