Ethical Storytelling & Survivor Voice

Centering Lived Experience Without Sensationalism or Trauma Porn

Welcome to a learning journey designed to transform how we think about, gather, and share stories for social change. In our work as advocates, educators, and organizers, stories are our most powerful currency. They can build bridges, change laws, and shift cultural norms. A compelling story can move audiences both intellectually and emotionally, making it a uniquely persuasive tool for motivating action. But this power comes with profound responsibility. Told without care, stories can exploit, re-traumatize, and reinforce the very stereotypes we seek to dismantle.

This self-paced course is a practical, compassionate guide to centering the lived experience of survivors with dignity, agency, and respect. We will move beyond simply avoiding harm to actively fostering healing and empowerment, equipping you with the principles, tools, and confidence to become a truly ethical storyteller. This is not an afterthought; ethical practice must be embedded in every step of the communication process.⁷ This work is especially critical for those of us working in African and Global South contexts, where the legacy of extractive narratives demands a more conscious, community-rooted approach to reclaim narratives and repair dignity.⁸

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course, you will be able to:

• Articulate the critical difference between empowering, survivor-centered narratives and exploitative “trauma porn” or savior-based stories.
• Apply the four core principles of ethical storytelling—Consent, Agency, Safety, and Reciprocity—to your work.
• Implement a trauma-informed framework for interviewing and engaging with individuals who have experienced harm, minimizing the risk of re-traumatization.
• Utilize asset-based and person-first language to craft narratives that highlight strength, resilience, and complexity.
• Co-create stories with survivors as collaborators, not just content sources, including using creative alternatives to direct testimony.
• Design advocacy and fundraising campaigns that inspire solidarity and action without resorting to pity.
• Develop an organizational Code of Ethics for storytelling that is contextually aware and prioritizes the dignity of story contributors.

Overview of the Course Structure

This course is structured in three progressive sections:

1. Section 1: The Foundation establishes why this work is critical, exploring the power and peril of stories and defining our core ethical commitments.
2. Section 2: The Practice translates principles into action, providing the hands-on skills for trauma-informed engagement and collaborative narrative creation.
3. Section 3: The Context applies these skills to the complex realities of advocacy, community safety, and fundraising in culturally sensitive environments.