We are beginning to use an innovative process called Digital Storytelling as another tool for educating and mobilizing.
Digital Storytelling has been used in other places to focus an issue, to unify people and to move an issue forward.
We are hoping to apply these tactics to our struggle for health and safety.
The much-publicized struggle of one injured worker in 2009 who held workers at the Workers’ Compensation Board hostage so that he could try to tell his tale of abuse and injustice, is a good illustration of the lack of power workers face when trying to get the story out.
Corporate media concentration combined with public bias against workers to render his actions futile.
Digital Storytelling is a powerful tool for generating discussion and sharing information about complex social issues.
In the Beginning
This story was provoked by public reaction to the incident described in the story. It tells the tale of how the public portrayal of the consequences of a worker’s injury can mean that we fail to ask important questions.
Don’s Story
In this story, film and theatre producer Don Bouzek takes us back to the start of his career, and over 30 years of working to meet extremely tight deadlines and public scrutiny of his work. The ultimate result was his suffering of a stroke.
The health effects of many work related hazards often take months, years or even decades to show up in the human body.
Lorna’s Story
In this story a young teacher chooses to leave teaching as a way of dealing with the ill health effects of the workplace stress that she is starting to feel.
Jared’s Story
In this story, a new father explores his relationship with his own mother, a hospital pharmacist whose work-related fibromyalgia has changed the way she can interact with her loved ones.
Susana’s Story
This story shows how trying to help those workers who are experiencing work-related health concerns can result in you being confronted with at least two levels of impact: the impact on the worker, and the impact on yourself as you try to help.