Black & Indigenous
Storytelling / Storywork
RGK is rooted in Black and Indigenous storytelling traditions that create space for communities to share their experiences on their own terms.
We understand storytelling not as an anecdote, but as a methodology. It is a way of gathering, interpreting, and sharing knowledge that honors lived experience and challenges extractive research practices. By weaving narrative with data, we develop more accurate understanding, empathy, and meaningful change strategies.
Storytelling in our work can be healing. It can build belonging. It can frame how communities are seen and how systems respond.
For us, storywork is both a process and an offering. It is a practice of accountability, cultural continuity, and collective reimagining.
Storytelling as Method
We integrate storytelling into data collection and analysis through interviews, participatory reflections, and contextual understanding. Stories are evidence, revealing nuance, meaning, and systemic challenges that traditional metrics alone may overlook. They also strengthen feedback loops by creating structured opportunities to reflect, refine, and improve practice over time.
Storytelling as Facilitation & Reciprocity
We design guided dialogues, reflective exercises, and community-engaged sessions that support trust-building, shared learning, and collective meaning-making. This approach strengthens relationships across community members, nonprofit leadership, and funders.
Storytelling as Dissemination
We translate evaluation findings into accessible formats, which include narrative summaries, visual reports, briefs, digital media, and community-facing materials. This ensures knowledge is accountable, understandable, and responsive to community and funder needs.
