What is Storytelling?

The unCommission is a massive, diverse, and participatory experience that is grounded in real testimonials from young people to determine the next set of transformative goals for preK-12 STEM education. To do this, the unCommission has brought together nearly 600 young people across the country, with a focus on those most excluded from STEM opportunity, to share their personal experiences and stories about science, engineering, technology and math. From these stories, the unCommission is working to distill insights and develop a constellation of actionable considerations for the future of STEM education.

Who is a Storyteller?
A storyteller is any young person aged 13-29 who wants to share their real experiences in STEM learning in the United States to help reveal the most important themes and patterns related to STEM education. Most unCommission storytellers came from communities furthest from inclusion in the STEM fields, particularly Black, Latinx, and Native American communities. 

What is a Story?
Stories are accounts of personal experiences with STEM learning -- there are no right or wrong answers! The unCommission storytelling prompt is: 

Describe an experience you had in science, math, and/or technology, inside or outside the classroom, from pre-K-12th grade. How did you feel in that experience, and what made you feel that way? 

Storytellers tell their stories through a variety of formats: a typed letter (max 500 words), a handwritten letter (max one page), or an audio or video journal (max 4 minutes). 

What has the unCommission been doing with these stories?
Submitted stories are read and listened to by trained researchers, who are working to pull out themes and patterns from the hundreds of stories that have been collected. These insights will be turned into new national education considerations for the country that the unCommission will share broadly.

Can I still submit my story?
Storytelling for the unCommission has come to a close to allow us to review all stories, develop a complete set of insights, and translate those insights into actionable considerations on STEM learning for the field. In the meantime, we invite you to review and reflect on our hundreds of public unCommission stories!

Have questions? Reach out to uncommission@100Kin10.org.