What About the Invisible People?
People avoid eye contact. They step away from you. They don’t answer you if you address them — even if you wish them a good day! It’s painful. It’s debilitating. Over time, it gets worse, not better. There are a lot of bad things about being homeless, but being invisible is the worst!
This is how we know that powerful change can happen when people who are homeless get the chance to tell their stories. You should see someone’s face when they realize another person actually wants to listen to them.
Every human being needs to be seen, heard, and acknowledged. But for homeless people, those who are used to being invisible, being heard can be a big, big deal.
You’ve seen other effective efforts at Education and prevention — from anti-smoking to breast Cancer, to global warming and more. Now we’re bringing the power of storytelling, education, and awareness to show the truth about homelessness. It’s time to give the homeless a voice. It’s time to change the narrative. This important journey cannot continue without YOUR help. Reaching out across the globe, city after city – in search of stories that need to be told.
Let’s Listen to the Streets | Interviewing the Homeless
Sharing the stories of the world’s homeless is essential in reshaping the way our society views the issue of homelessness. Beyond that, forming personal connections and hearing the stories of struggling strangers is an incredible and mutually beneficial experience. Which is why we’ve embarked on a journey to compile stories from the street to include in our “for good” vs for-profit Book Anthology: UNSHELTERED: VOICES FROM THE STREET. But we need your storytelling help when it comes to gathering stories from the street.
Your Approach Matters
These discussions can be a nerve-wracking, emotional process for both parties. After all, your goal is to encourage people in great distress to open up about their outstanding struggles to a complete stranger. Some people are more than happy to share while others may be more reserved. You need to be willing to dive outside of your comfort zone while being careful not to force them to leave theirs. We’ve put together our special guide below to provide you with two distinct story-gathering approaches, along with Tips and a selection of prospective Questions to ask:
Be mindful of your body language and eye contact. Provide them with your undivided attention. They deserve it. Just because life’s hardships are essential to discuss, doesn’t mean they are easy to share. A list of questions is helpful, but not required (see our Guide above for two different Interview approaches. The goal is to use their answers as jumping-off points to guide the direction of the discussion. Look for the story behind the philosophy and the philosophy behind the story, always. Focus on building a bond and never be afraid to ask the tough questions and dig deep.
When you’re back home, transcribe the recorded interview and remove filler content that you feel takes away from the story. Be careful when paraphrasing to maintain accuracy and avoid reframing the context of their words! And when it’s time to send your story to us here, so we can begin the process of review/editing/final approval for inclusion in our special Anthology Book:
It’s time to close the gap between public perception and reality. We aim to foster the realization that there is more to homelessness than being homeless by creating an emotional bridge between readers and the struggling strangers they walk past every day.
Originally Published on https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/author/dennisjpitocco/
