COURSE DESIGN & FACILITATION

The organization: Northeastern Illinois University is a public University in Chicago ranked number 1 among all Midwest colleges and universities as the most diverse. The Community and Professional Education department offers non-credit classes, workshops and summer programs to the community. 

The change: Students in the Stories in Progress class brought a “change process” to the group, and engaged in communal story sharing protocols to adapt and apply to their unique situations. Designed in a lab format, students shared their progress toward change with classmates as the work evolved. Change processes revolved around topics of othering & belonging in schools, affordable housing justice, perimenopause treatment, and tensions in Jewish school funding. 

The story: Foreword Motion designed and facilitated this 8 week course featuring protocols adapted from story traditions around the world and throughout history.

I enjoyed the multiple connections and methods to make connections [in the Stories in Progress class]. Katie is a wonderful teacher/facilitator. She brought her genuine self to the space and to every detail, everything from preparing the curriculum, making the presentations exciting by including us in them, her flexibility and most importantly her beautiful soul. I learned all the ways in which a story could be told. I walk the world collecting tools. Along the way I pull those tools out and test and modify. My tool kit has grown and so has my confidence to tell a story in different ways.

— Lucy Gomez Feliciano, Community Engagement Director, Here to Stay Community Land Trust

I really enjoyed learning the protocols and then practicing them together [in the Stories in Progress class].I learned to listen deeply. Each time we did an activity together, I couldn't stop thinking about it during the week. Katie is an amazing teacher. Her demeanor is so calming and conducive to learning.

— Dr. Gloria McDaniel-Hall, Urban Legends and National-Louis University