25-Days-of-Storytelling: A Great Collaborative idea to Boost Visibility for ALL CHAPTERS
In discussing the Vision for Spellbinders Future, the #1 thing your Chapter members dreamed of was Widespread Name Recognition for Spellbinders. Our 25th Anniversary provides a great chance. While the Spellbinders Forum generated lots of creative ideas on exactly how this would look, the Council thought it best to Keep It Simple Sister at the national level, with each Chapter being able to participate in whatever way it pleases.
Here is the idea:
- Collectively organize 25+ “storytelling events” from October 1 through November 1, 2015, with at least 25 of those events being in Colorado.
- Each Chapter is asked to organize one event of their choosing – if they sign-on to this idea.
- The SRC will organize public storytelling performances on five Sundays from October 4th to November 1st and will be seeking individual volunteers to perform. However, the Chapters do not need to take responsibility for these events.
- The SRC will organize eight to ten 30-minute programs at Children’s Hospital which will be videotaped and transmitted to all CO Children’s Hospital bedrooms. The SRC will be seeking individual volunteers to perform, however, the Chapters do not need to take responsibility for these events.
- Use this coordinated effort to generate media attention to increase the name recognition – and thus volunteer base – of Spellbinders.
What does your Chapter need to do if it wants to participate?
- Email me whether or not your Chapter is “in” and what types of events you are considering, i.e. a storytelling concert, a literacy night at one of your schools, a whole school day of storytelling, campfire storytelling with the Scouts, a historic ghost walk storytelling tour of your town, a golfing event with storytelling, collecting personal stories at the Farmers Market and retelling them one night
- Begin to set a firm date and to plan your event as soon as possible. We will need all events locked in by August 15th for printing and promotional purposes.
- Decide if your event is going to be a fundraiser….more ideas to come.
- Agree to distribute in late-August to early-September a calendar of events to your volunteers so that they can hand it out to each student during their September storytelling session. The SRC will provide the calendar. (This handout will be Colorado-events only).
- Agree to submit an article to each school newspaper (draft to be provided by SRC).
- Agree to submit a press release to your local paper (draft to be provided by SRC).
- Agree to approach your mayor about issuing a proclamation (draft to be provided by SRC).
- Have the event!!
- Enjoy a class full of new Trainees in January!
25-HOURS-of-Storytelling: A crazy record-setting attempt to boost visibility for ALL Chapters
Yes, we are going to do it….set a record for the single longest storytelling event by a group of seniors! There are lots of details to be worked out, but here are the thoughts thus far:
- We have applied to Guinness for this to be a record attempt, but won’t know until late April if they accept it…we are moving forward anyway due to the publicity value.
- We hope this event kicks-off 25-Days-of-Storytelling and will take place some time between September 30th and October 4th.
- Volunteers will rotate throughout the night, i.e. no one…except maybe me…needs to stay up all night.
- The SRC will organize this event; volunteers from every Chapter are encouraged to participate. We will announce this idea to your volunteers in the March enewsletter.
- The event will take place in the Denver metro area.
- We will try to find a venue that will host a “slumber party” with kids, but that idea is venue-dependent. We will let you know as soon as we lock-in a venue in case you want to host a slumber party that night in your town (Forum-generated idea).
Great Forum-generated ideas that are only possible if someone other than the SRC takes the lead in organizing. We simply don’t have enough people-power within the SRC to pull the above off along with these ideas.
- Live stream the event to Chapter-organized slumber parties across the state (if the Chapters decide to have them.) Anyone want to take the lead on live streaming technology? Perhaps through the media and/or art department of a college?
- Troops: Have a process to electronically send the individual stories to the troops. Anyone want to take the lead on this? Perhaps the first step is talking to CO National Reserve or the Airforce Academy.
- Storytelling flash mob: This idea just didn’t get the votes at the Forum to allocate scare staff time. Remember we are going with the Keep It Simple Sister principle. But, if a volunteer wants to take this project on and run with it, GREAT! In fact, a flash mob may be just the thing on September 25th to publicize the event.