Why Humanitarian Storytelling?

There are so many cute and trite answers I could give … so many rabbit holes to go down waxing philosophic about why I’m doing this. 

The straight-up answer is that the state of the world really bothers me … and I believe our future, and the future for my kids, absolutely depends on people coming together and caring about each other and the massive social and environmental problems that exist in the world. 

We need to care more deeply about the disenfranchised and about the planet that we mistakenly believe is endlessly resilient to the assaults of mankind. 

We need to commit to building a more humane and sustainable future.

We need to find personal thresholds of wealth that are good enough, so we can be more charitable … and finally be able to grasp the many possibilities that are presently just beyond our reach. 

Studies confirm that the more social and economic equity that exists in the world, the happier we all are, and the less conflict that exists. 

We are a world community and we need to embrace that reality if we’re to have the future we all profess to want. And, as a community, we need to not only say that we care about others in our community, but act in ways that demonstrate that. 

I do not have financial wealth or business acumen, but I do have a gift … one that can significantly contribute to bringing us all closer together and getting us to care more deeply and personally about each other… and that is my photography and my skill as a storyteller. 

It’s easy to look at the enormous problems of the world and believe there’s nothing we can do … and that’s true … for us as individuals. But, it is not true collectively … and that’s the mindset we must have. It’s the mindset that convinced me to embrace a new direction and a new mission as a photojournalist. 

Your nonprofit, your NGO, your B corp … they matter. They are making a difference in the world. You just need more people behind you supporting your mission. For that to happen, more people have to “get it.” They need to feel why their support matters … how they can become the bridge between what is and what can be. 

Storytelling helps people experience the human consequences of circumstances and conditions they may never personally have to endure … so they, as people removed from the suffering, can be touched by it … and make decisions, and take actions that make extraordinary transformations possible. 

There is an emotional journey each potential supporter, donor, volunteer needs to take before they take the action that leads to change and progress. 

Photographs and storytelling … done well, done thoughtfully, done with intent … can take people on that journey from being someone who cares to being someone who takes action and makes the unlikely inevitable and real. 

That’s why humanitarian storytelling.