The Storyline, Spring 2026 Newsletter from StoryCentre Canada

Issue 2- Spring 2026

First online public workshop a great success!

“It is important to slow down and focus on a story, to reflect and to just have fun! I enjoyed my story and my family loved it too.” ~Lizzie Aliqatuqtuq, Dean, Education, Inuit and University Studies, Nunavut Arctic College

Still from “Kilabuk wants a pair of Kamik” by Lizzie Aliqatuqtuq

Joining us from Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Iqaluit, and New Zealand, our participants came together to share and support each other in making stories in our Online Digital Storytelling Workshop this past February-March.

Participants joined as researchers, community outreach workers, students, and individuals interested in the application of DST. Everyone made deeply personal stories about family, loss, sharing knowledge from generation to generation, trauma, and profound personal growth.

“This was the first time I took a workshop on Digital Storytelling, and I feel I am hooked now. As a photographer, I can see a lot of use for this skill in my life as I document my experiences around the world.” ~Surabhi Jain, Consultant

Registration open: In-person public workshop, June 2026.

Have you always wanted to create your own digital story? Do you have a story to tell that can help you to share an important experience? Or do you simply want to learn first-hand why making a digital story is so powerful?

SUMMER 2026

A 3-day in-person workshop at Rice Lake Arts, Ontario

Discount if you register before May 15, 2026!

We are excited to be partnering with Rice Lake Arts, near Peterborough, Ontario, for our in-person Digital Story Retreat. This will be a 3-Day workshop, Friday, June 26 through Sunday, June 28.

Work in a restored century-old barn and soak up the gorgeous rural landscape of rolling hills, overlooking Rice Lake!

Click here for details, and to reserve your spot!

Not in the Toronto area? Let’s talk about holding a public, in-person workshop where you live!

How amazing is this? Stories lead to creation of Indigenous Lactation Consultant position.

Our congratulations go out to Hannah Neufeld, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health, Wellbeing and Food Environments, and the research team at the Universities of Waterloo and Winnipeg who successfully advocated for change around infant feeding supports for Indigenous families.

From 2023-2024,12 Indigenous parents in Ontario and Manitoba created Digital Stories and participated in interviews and Elder-led sharing circles for the project, First Foods. They shared their feeding experiences and discussed the diverse postnatal needs and challenges that Indigenous families and communities encounter within urban contexts.

Screening the Digital Stories for hospital care providers and administrators led to the creation of an Indigenous Lactation Consultant position at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre Hospital in support of Indigenous parents and families!

2026: Already a fulfilling year!

It’s hard to believe it’s only April! StoryCentre Canada has jumped right in to some important and inspiring projects in 2026.

The following workshops were designed in collaboration with our community partners. Contact us if you want to know more about having a custom workshop designed for your project.

Still from a digital story made by a participant

Queer Experiences of Midwifery

This project was a partnership with Dr. Jenn Goldberg, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, McMaster Midwifery Research Centre.

Gendered language in perinatal healthcare settings often excludes trans and nonbinary individuals, leading to harmful consequences such as misgendering and trauma during pregnancy and birth.

Participants from across Ontario convened in Hamilton, ON for a digital storytelling workshop, hosted by the Pulse Lab at McMaster. Their tender honest stories provide rich insight into how trans and nonbinary people experience gender at the intersection of health care, family building, kinship and identity, and will be used to teach health care providers the importance of gender-affirming language.

“The Digital Storytelling course was an engaging lens to examine how my passion for public health intertwines with narrative media. Knowing how different media techniques can compel audiences to engage with public health issues is critical for those wanting to make an impact in the field.” ~Eshana, MPH student, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health

Still from “A Seat at The Table“ by Eshana

A five year relationships keeps building; Columbia University- Mailman School of Public Health.

This annual workshop encourages second-year graduate Health Communication Certificate students to experience the vulnerability and power of sharing a personal narrative. This experience helps students become more empathetic and thoughtful public health practitioners – and, of course, more skilled and engaging storytellers.

“Each year, the student cohort becomes closer because of this class. The instructors are phenomenal.” ~Azure Nowara, Associate Director Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health

What our friends are up to:

Participants make mosaics and learn basket weaving at Rice Lake Arts.

Rice Lake Arts

Rice Lake Arts is our partner for our summer public workshop!

RLA workshops invite participants to explore their creativity in various visual media and performing arts. Their beautiful grounds, sculpture garden, and restored barn space set in the rolling hills of Peterborough County are sure to inspire. Try your hand at stone carving, yarn spinning, basket weaving, mosaics, and more! Registration is now open for their summer offerings. Check them out before they fill up!

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Centre for Community Based Research

Arts-Based Methods for Collective Action course (online, synchronous, starting October 15, 2026). In this course, participants will explore the benefits and challenges of arts-based methods for community-based research, evaluation, advocacy, and collective action. Through interactive and experiential sessions, students will gain practical skills in the "why" and "how" of using participatory art-making for community dialogue, engagement and empowerment.