Stories as a Catalyst for Change, Featuring Narrative 4 GIP Event Reflections

 On Monday April 11, I had the pleasure of attending Poly’s very first in person GIP event since before the pandemic: Stories as a Catalyst for Change, Featuring Narrative 4. Firstly, it was so exciting to be back in an in person setting for this GIP event. I found myself much more engaged and energized listening to the speakers not through a screen, but as they stood upon Garland stage. 

Aside from the “in person” aspect of this event, I also thoroughly enjoyed learning about N4 and hearing all that the speakers had to say. Maru Casteñada, Taeler Lewis, and Babalwa Tetyana all contributed their own unique perspectives and experiences with N4, which really allowed me to understand the impact and importance of N4 in different places across the world. I think I was particularly impacted by Tetyana’s powerful reading of a poem of hers. She read with a kind of passion that infected not only myself, but everyone around me in the audience. 

Overall, this was an exciting way to reintroduce in person GIP events into the Poly community. I look forward to learning more about N4, and because of this event I plan on participating in a story exchange as soon as I can.