On April 11, 2022, Poly hosted their last GIP event for the year and their first in-person event since pre-pandemic. The event, called Stories as a Catalyst for Change, featured Narrative 4 and several keynote speakers: Maru Castañeda, Taelor Lewis, and Babalwa Tetyana. Maru, manager of Mexico operations, Taelor Lewis, midwest regional manager, and Babalwa Tetyana, N4 student ambassador from South Africa, did an excellent job of providing an overview of N4’s next projects. N4 seeks to engage in meaningful dialogues with various perspectives in an effort to move from discord to understanding and positive actions. Through story exchanges, many global voices share their stories with others which would not be possible without these programs.
Narrative 4’s recent campaign has the same name as the Global Scholars 2022 cohort’s theme: empathy into action. Narrative 4’s Empathy Into Action campaign “will continually reaffirm the conviction that we can navigate and heal our divided world if we act together to change, rebuild and even revolutionize failed systems.” Overall, it was wonderful hearing the impact that the numerous projects of N4 have made and the impact of future projects. I was particularly blown away by Babalwa Tetyana’s poem about where she came from. Her ability with words transported me to her hometown and completely painted a picture of the surroundings. The poem also shed light on numerous stereotypes that were prevalent in her life. All in all, this was a wonderful GIP event and a great way to return to Garland theater. It was amazing to hear about N4’s work and their various upcoming projects that involve story exchanges and expanding their reach.
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