Creating the world we want to live in
Narrative Therapy has a long history in extraordinarily effective community work, and The Narrative Center is continuing that tradition. We are committed to social justice, anti-racism and intersectional feminism; and to upholding anti-oppressive practices and addressing power differentials through transparent, ethical and collaborative community work.
Tap Into Your Story
American Tap Dance Foundation has invited Center of Narrative Studies to participate in
Tap Into Your Story is an immersive Choreography Residency that explores the 2 & 1/2 year hiatus from in-person tap dance instruction, study and practice that we all experienced from the winter of 2019 to the present. Remember, Realize and Reconnect.
The residency includes 5 days of dancing, discussion and discovery. As a team we will explore and extract material from dancer’s personal journey and stories. Working with four different contributing choreographers, Jared Alexander, Felipe Galganni, Dexter Jones & Kaleena Miller, executive director and psychotherapist, Mary Dove, a poet, Evan Burton, that will culminate in a performance at Tap Future on Friday, July 8th at Symphony Space.
WHAT IS STORY IS POWER?
Center for Narrative Studies community projects asks the public to engage in storytelling. We believe stories are powerful acts that shape our lives. The past year has made clear to us just how important stories and the connections they forge really are. Story is Power is a collaborative experiment in sharing and receiving our collective stories. We'll keep a library of all the stories here, so you can take in a story as you leave your own. The goal is to inspire, and to help each of us feel re-connected. There is power in the personal. We're looking forward to hearing your story.
We strongly believe in the power stories have to bring our communities together. This toolkit will help you take that step towards connecting with others and offering a new perspective that may not have been explored otherwise. The questions provided in this toolkit will be your guide in sharing your story and hopefully discovering new things about yourself and the world around you.
Change Makers Project
Creating a new picture of leadership for youth organizations.
The purpose of Change Makers is to spotlight the women of today whose work is devoted to change. Our Change Makers share stories that inspire acceptance, foster communities, unify ethnicities, genders, sexualities and statuses, preserve the earth and wholeheartedly strengthen well-being. It features the talents of Jena Cumbo, photographer, in conjunction with Mary Dove, producer, and writers Camile Sardina and Tira Harpaz. After producing the book, Mary spearheaded an exhibition and educational events in partnership with Hudson Guild and the Teen Youth Program. The photographs are on permanent exhibit at
Tools & Tiaras, where strong girls are forged.
Unconscious Bias
Yassmin Abdel-Magied,, a leading expert and activist speaker presents on Unconscious Bias.
An evening with Yassmin Abdel-Magied, a mechanical engineer, award winning social advocate, author and broadcaster. A Sudanese-born Muslim woman, she was named the 2015 Queensland Young Australian of the Year and released her memoir, Yassmin’s Story, a year later at the age of 24. Yassmin advocates for the empowerment of youth, women and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. She founded the non-for-profit Youth Without Borders at age 16. Outside advocacy, she works as an engineer on offshore gas rigs and is an internationally accredited journalist. Her acclaimed TED talk, 'What does my headscarf mean to you' has over 1.8 million views. Yassmin is now an internationally renowned speaker on the topic of unconscious bias, having presented in over 20 countries across 5 continents. She also published her best selling debut memoir, Yassmin's Story at the age of 24 and her writing has appeared in publications worldwide, including the Guardian, The New York Times and The Australian Financial Review. This event was co-sponsored by Lean In NYC, the Islamic Center at NYU, and the NYU Alumni Association.
Urban Retreat
Feminist Story is Power weekend.
Mary Dove created Urban Retreat, a weekend workshop with the theme of storytelling, in response to the demand for a more immersive environment for creative women to work together to lift each other higher. We offered classes to inspire and be inspired for artist and thinkers to dream, reflect, create and connect. We offered a full program for women with 18 teachers over a two-day period. Classes included mediation, mastery, personal manifesto, improvisation, storytelling from animators and filmmakers, music and personal narratives. Our teachers from the arts, technology, health and wellness and business shared their struggles and also stories of their resilience.