In an environment that often lack access to resources that support the development of healthy sexuality and sexual and reproductive health, youth in the South Side of Chicago tell their stories through ditial media. Presented by Ragnar Anderson of the Interdisciplinary Inquiry & Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health, at YTH Live 2014 session "Digital Storytelling for Social Change."

1. South Side Stories:
Sharing narratives to reshape perceptions
Ragnar Anderson, MPH
Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry & Innovation
in Sexual and Reproductive Health
(Ci3)
April 6-8, 2014
San Francisco, CA
Annual Conference on Youth + Tech + Health

3. Ci3.uchicago.edu
South Side Stories
South Side Stories aims to create
a body of social science research
based on the personal narratives
of youth that elucidate how
structural factors such as
segregation, discrimination,
stigma, and violence constrain
the freedom, sexuality, and
health of young people.

4. • Reanimate perceptions of urban youth of color
• Explore ways to create research with rather than
research on youth
• Provide a group of young people the opportunity to
explore this method of self expression
• Identify ways for youth to engage in policy debates
that influence their lives
Objectives

5. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Anatomy of SSS
• 3 community partner
• Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus
• YMCA (Black and Latino Achievers)
• Global Girls
• 6 youth advisers
• Adolescents living on Chicago’s south side
• 6 Ford scholars
• University of Chicago graduate students from a variety
of disciplines

6. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Anatomy of SSS
• 6 faculty advisers
• Range of disciplines, all with a connection to SRH
• Assist Ford Scholars in their research projects
• 7 staff members – project team
• Digital storytelling facilitators and producers,
researchers, communications manager
• University of Chicago graduate students from a variety
of disciplines
• 51 young people who participated in the workshops

7. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Creating stories
• 7 digital storytelling workshops
• Community partners
• Youth advisers
• 44 young people living on the south side of Chicago
• Weekend workshops
• Friday: icebreakers, word clouds, basics of storytelling, story
circles
• Saturday: photo walk around neighborhood
• Sunday: producing story in the lab

8. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Why the South Side?
• One of the largest contiguous African American
urban communities
• One of the most racially segregated and isolated
communities in the US
• 9 of Chicago’s ten poorest communities are on the
South Side
• High rates of school discontinuation, obesity,
asthma, drug arrests, and incarceration

9. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Youth on the South Side
• Limited resources supporting health and growth
• Experience disproportionate violence, stigma,
and victimization
• Sexual minority youth are particularly
constrained
• Few youth have opportunity to view sexuality
from rights based framework
• High rates of STIs, HIV, and teen pregnancy

10. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Essential Questions
• How do structural factors and social forces
associated with segregation impact sexual and
reproductive health (safety and safe spaces)?
• How can research, narrative, and communication
be used to create “safe spaces” for youth?
• Can digital stories engage key stakeholders in
dialogue and activity around youth sexuality?

11. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Underlying Theories
• Structural violence, describes how political, economic,
and social policies create resource inequalities and social
conditions that maintain health disparities.
• Minority stress theory, helps us understand how
experiences with discrimination related to minority
status (race, sexual orientation, gender) affects sense of
self, health and well being
• Syndemics, the presence of overlapping psychosocial
health problems that increase vulnerability to poor
health for example disparities of rates of HIV/AIDS in
urban populations of color

12. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Dominant themes
- romantic relationships
- familial relationships
- self-esteem
- sexuality
- violence
- bullying
- body image
- identity

13. Ci3.uchicago.edu

14. Ci3.uchicago.edu

15. Ci3.uchicago.edu

16. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Research & Policy
• Ford Scholars: composing individuals research
project
• Project team: composing journal articles:
• Teen health issues
• LBTQ issues
• Relevant policy issues
METHODS:
 Content analysis
 Narrative analysis
 Relate to relevant data

17. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Dissemination
www.southsidestories.org
AUDIENCES:
Screenings with discussion:
• University of Chicago
• Community-based screenings
• Larger population of Chicago
CONTEXT:
- releasing by themes with discussion guide

18. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Project Team
Ci3.uchicago.edu

19. Ci3.uchicago.edu
Many thanks to the
Ford Foundation
for their support!
Thank you for your attention!