CARE Vietnam, as a member of the Climate Change Working Group (CCWG), is promoting Community Digital Storytelling as a new tool for engaging vulnerable groups in the debate on climate change adaptation.
Community Digital Storytelling (CDST) is a participatory development process where community members develop and share photo and/or video stories as a means to raise awareness, stimulate dialog and influence policy.
It can be particularly valuable in a context where people do not speak the official language or when their opportunity to have their voices heard are restricted by gender, social and cultural norms, or affected by stigma.
In March CARE Vietnam released the publication: “Our Valuable Voices. Community Digital Storytelling for Good Programming and Policy Engagement”– that provides insights into the practical use of CDST in a climate change adaptation project in the Mekong.
These insights were shared with members of the CCWG during their monthly meeting in April and more recently at a CARE webinar the 2nd of June.
The storytelling process makes it possible to show how climate change impact people’s daily lives and what they already do to deal with these changes.
In this way the stories can add to a wider conversation about how development programming and government policies can more effectively help different vulnerable groups adapt to a changing climate.