GUIDANCE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS This document serves as a quick reference to support civil society organisations to engage ethically with stateless storytellers. • Stateless people are experts in their own experiences and should be treated as such. But they are also experts in the issues that affect them, and should not be reduced to their stories alone. Take account of this in ‘storytelling’! • Individuals should have control over the way in which they tell their story, the way in which it is used and the wan in which they are portrayed. • Don’t explain to people how they should tell their own story. They know best what impact it can have to tell it, and that is their choice. • Storytelling should have a purpose beyond simply sharing a ‘human story’. It should be able to be of benefit to the individual or their community, whether by raising awareness about the issues that they are concerned by, helping them to highlight systemic problems, or as a way to reach out to other people affected by the same issue. • Offer participants trainings on storytelling for impact, public speaking or media work if needed, before embarking on a project. • Provide as much information as possible about where a story/project might end up (especially if online) and the ramifications of that. This also requires providing an opt-out if someone doesn’t feel comfortable with this. People have the right to say no! • Ensure wellbeing support is available before, during and after the project. People can be affected by sharing personal stories, particularly if they don’t feel entirely in control.