Inspiring Future Impact Founders Through Storytelling
Starting out with the same goal of helping rising social entrepreneurs achieve their desired social impact, Social Impact Lab Japan (SILJ) and Japan Venture Academy collaborate and coordinate the post-pandemic in-person event ‘Storytelling for Impact Founders’. The event was successfully co-hosted by Ms. Quynh Trang Ho Thi, SILJ Project Manager, and Kento Akiyama, JVA Founder who delivered inspirational speeches going from zero to the leading roles of sustainability in Japan today.
This event focuses on “enabling young generations to take action and think of alternative ways to change the world.” - Kento Akiyama.
Why is Storytelling a crucial skill for impact founders? Everything has its own story. Humans find it easier to connect to one another through similar stories. It is a common case that social entrepreneurs have their own stories which connect them to the social issue being addressed. Their main task as an entrepreneur is to deliver a story that identifies an issue, fosters sympathy, and understanding, and creates the widespread urge to change. The ability to deliver a story equals to the ability to attract fellow changemakers.
Sensing a hint of shyness in the air as people begin adjusting to in-person events, an icebreaker game is organized. The game promotes effective interaction and communication. Individuals have the chance to formulate concise questions that allow them to achieve the desirable answers as soon as possible. This not only stirs up the atmosphere but also acts as an adhesive device for the latter team formation.
JVA Founder attempts to better the understanding of the audience on Storytelling by providing applicable examples from notable storytellers: Martin Luther King and ‘I have a dream alongside the Hero’s Journey Framework. Kento Akiyama settles on using mainly Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey Framework for today’s workshop.
With the task given that asks three teams to choose one out of three provided social businesses and apply the business model into the framework, attendees settle into their sorted teams and begin working on it. All teams clearly assign responsibilities to the presenter, the note-taker, and the researcher. This accelerates the discussion time and allows teams to push for more detailed analysis. Everyone, then, presents their completed task. After the wonderful speeches from all teams, a reflection session takes place.
Participants are not afraid to voice both positive feedback and constructive criticisms. The overwhelming opinion is questioning the framework and the necessity to stick to it. There is no necessity, the Hero’s Journey Framework is there for reference only.
The path to becoming impact founders is never a straight line and is never a perfect circle. The most important thing is to believe in your Storytelling skill and know that it has the power to nurture change on a local to a global scale in whichever way works best for you.
Author: Anh Hong Xuan Nguyen