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A section to showcase real and authentic stories produced entirely by Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers

Storytelling
Toolkit

Do you want to learn more about storytelling or train your Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers to
become storytellers?

Four decades of humanitarian storytelling

In this two-month podcast series, Red Cross Red Crescent magazine staff revisit some of the most interesting and inspiring people we've interviewed during 40 years of Red Cross Red Crescent magazine’s coverage of humanitarian action.

What happens when machines can decide who to kill?

It’s the stuff of science fiction: machines that make decisions about who and when to kill. Referred to as “autonomous weapons”, they’re already in use to some degree. But as more sophisticated systems are being developed we wanted to an expert in the field about whether such systems comply with international humanitarian law and what it means for humanity to give machines the power over human life and death.

‘Wildfire diaries’ and radical change in communications

In this episode, we talk with humanitarian communicator Kathy Mueller who produced our first magazine podcast series, The Wildfire Diaries, about massive wildfires in Northern Canada in 2017. We talk about that series, her many international missions, and the big changes in humanitarian communications since she began with the Canadian Red Cross almost 20 years ago.

The power of storytelling

In this episode, we talk about the power of storytelling to inform and inspire. “Storytelling is a fundamental aspect of human communication,” says our guest Prodip, a volunteer and multi-media storyteller for the Bangladesh Red Crescent. “It inspires us to be a hero of our own community.” We also speak with one such community hero, Dalal al-Taji, a longtime volunteer and advocate for inclusion of people with disabilities in emergencies response. “In disasters. persons with disabilities sometimes get forgotten.”

Do you have a minute?

A chat with interesting people on the ground. Learn first-hand how Red Cross and Red Crescents are tackling issues like climate change and migration.

Going mobile

In Argentina, mobile humanitarian service points not only bring critical services such as first aid, water, food and warm clothes. They bring a feeling of safety and trust, which are critical for helping people on the move.

Saving our cities

Urban communities are at risk as the climate crisis intensifies its impacts on cities. As part of our ‘Do you have a minute?’ series, we shared a coffee and a chat with Julie Arrighi from the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. We wanted to talk about the particular impacts of climate change in urban settings.

Migration and trust

To trust or not to trust? That is the question many migrants must ask as they consider reaching out for humanitarian services. For some, the answer could be a matter of life and death. If migrants don’t trust people who are offering health care or other forms of assistance and protection, they may say ‘no thanks’. And that could make their situation even worse. In this series of selfie videos from volunteers and migration experts around the world, Red Cross Red Crescent magazine explores the challenge of gaining and maintaining trust with people on the move.

‘I was afraid’

Migrants often have a lot to be afraid of as they struggle to get by in new surroundings: Arrest. Deportation. Violence. Theft. But building and maintaining trust is possible, say experts. They share their advice in this short, selfie-style video.

A smooth landing

For volunteers like Sami Rahikainen, building trust with migrants who are coming to a new place in the search of a brand new life is crucial. This is his story.

Bangladesh: Rising above

Storms, cyclones, floods, Covid-19. These and other disasters are pushing the limits of people in Bangladesh as they strive to rise above these crises and ensure the well-being of themselves and their families.

As part of the Red Cross Red Crescent Storytelling Lab, Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteers have produced inspiring stories showing the journey of people who are rising above the challenges of successive crises.

Quiet crises, quiet heros

Every Wednesday in July, we will shed light on many stories about crises that go unnoticed because they happen in relative isolation: an elderly man fighting a chronic, life-threatening disease; a family desperate to find services for a child with a severe disability, a mother learning a new skill to make ends meet.

In these four stories, told by Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan volunteers, we get to know people going through just these kinds of private challenges and we meet the quiet heros and heroines who are there to help.

Unanswered questions

Every Wednesday during May and June 2022, Red Cross and Red Crescents experts will delve into trending topics like debunking climate change myths, answering questions about mental health and reacting to what Hollywood movies get right and wrong about disasters. Stay tuned every week for fresh videos!

Faces of Yemen: Our lives beyond conflict

This series of stories, told by volunteers from Yemen Red Crescent Society, aims to shift the narrative about the conflict in the country by taking us into the everyday lives of six ordinary people who do extraordinary things to protect the lives and well-being of their loved ones and their communities.

Recipes for Resilience 2021

Exploring the foods we love, the people who cook them and the links between our favorite meals and the critical challenges of our times. These stories aren’t just about food. They are about inclusion, fundamental good health and economic survival. They are about community, equal opportunity, dignity and about love.

Gardens of health

At health clinics and hospitals around Zimbabwe, new mothers and moms-to-be tend sustainable gardens to provide vital, nutritious meals despite a challenging climate

The great data gold rush

In this series, we explore how humanitarian organizations use data in creative new ways to help people around the world through immense hardship. And we examine the great challenge humanitarians face in the 21st century: protecting people from harm in the physical world is entirely dependent on the protection of their personal data, their virtual persona, in cyberspace. Stay tuned! We will release episodes 2 and 3 weekly

2 of 3| Block or accept?

As humanitarian groups have rushed to embrace new technologies, biometric data such as eye, finger and palm scans have become a common method for humanitarian organizations to track aid during emergencies. But is the humanitarian sector fully ready to protect this most personal form of data?

Women in Science

For centuries, women have made significant contributions to science, medicine and technology. Thanks to their work, the world is safer, healthier and more humane. The tradition continues. Meet Romy, astrophysics student and volunteer at Slovak Red Cross, and Eva, biologist and emergency response delegate at Spanish Red Cross. With this series, we celebrate all women and girls in science.

Recipes for Resilience

Food brings us closer together. It connects us to our roots, to our family and our traditions. But climate change, economic upheaval, displacement or conflict are putting the nutrition and well-being of many communities at great risk. In this series we explore the foods we love, the people who cook them and the links between our favorite meals and the critical human challenges of our times.

Comfort after the storm

From ‘Hurricane Burgers’ to lobster wraps, Lovely Reckley serves traditional Bahamian comfort food with a twist as her restaurant helps a community recover from a deadly storm

Expert Sources

Through a series of online interviews with different experts from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Red Cross Red Crescent magazine dives deep to explore different angles in which Covid-19 is affecting some of the most vulnerable communities around the world. How would Ramadan change during lockdown? How to support people with disabilities during this health emergency? Join us in this Expert Sources series and find out more.

Stories that move you, that make you smile, laugh, cry, learn. This is the heart of the new Movement StoryHub hosted by RCRC magazine. A space for unity, solidarity and a sense of belonging, where every month we present the best stories and most innovative digital content produced by our Movement around the world.

Season of rain, season of tragedy

From Ebola to disasters, the Ugandan Red Cross is used to responding to a wide range of crises. In western Uganda, for example, the Red Cross has been helping a growing number of people displaced by catastrophic yearly mudslides and floods.

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The brave new world of ‘Tech-plomacy’

Digital information technology holds tremendous potential for easing human suffering. But it also poses many risks. In countries impacted by conflict, for example, those risks can be a matter of life and death. Humanitarian ‘tech-plomat’ Philippe Stoll decodes plusses and minuses of the humanitarian tech revolution.

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About RCRC magazine

About RCRC magazine

Our goal is to connect you with powerful stories told by people around the world who are coping with enormous challenges due to natural disasters, climate change, health emergencies and conflict. We want to share what we learn from these stories so that — together — we can better understand the realities many people face and how we can all help them find solutions. We also hope to inspire you to engage and join with others — including the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement — in working to make life better for all people around the world.

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