Ada Cheng

Us Together: Cultivating Belonging, Trust, and Connection via Storytelling

Available in English and Mandarin

This session will map out my own journey as an immigrant and Asian American storyteller and delineate how my personal stories reflect social concerns of our time. It includes my experiences as a community builder, who engages in the practice of community-based storytelling and brings people and communities together through story-sharing. This session aims at providing participants with the foundational skill set and knowledge to build intimate and trusting spaces through storytelling. Most importantly, Ada will show how our stories are connected and how we can strengthen our shared humanity through integrating the practice of sharing stories.

The session will start with Ada sharing her personal stories as an immigrant, as an Asian in diaspora, and as an Asian American in Illinois. After that, she will discuss the principles central to the practice of storytelling, such as trust, vulnerability, connection, empathy, compassion, and shared humanity. She will create a trusting space for participants to share their stories as well, thus demonstrating how to forge connections through our shared similarities and build bridges despite our differences.

The following questions will be explored:

• Why is storytelling important to our understanding of the connection between our personal and collective existence?
• How can we use personal and community stories to illustrate our shared humanity despite differences?
• How do we use storytelling to cultivate a sense of belonging, trust, and connection among all?

Audience Recommendations

This session is open to a general audience. It can work for various age groups, from teens (middle/high school) to older adults. This can also work in intergenerational spaces.

Program Logistics

The is a is one hour session. No equipment is necessary. It will be highly interactive and immersive. Any audio or video recording must be discussed with and approved in writing by the speaker prior to the session.