Data and information will make our point, but it’s our stories that will make the difference.
What makes personal stories so important?
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou
If data and studies were enough to persuade people to build a better world, things would look very different than they do now. At the end of the day, the people making decisions about our transportation options, our street designs, and our policies are still, in fact, people.
You can have the best and most correct argument for better transit in the world, but what will ultimately make this issue urgent for them is the real-life impact on people. This is something we can achieve through storytelling.
How do we use the stories we collect?
We’ll post them on our website and on social media.
We will regularly publish stories to our website to highlight different experiences and perspectives. Check out our contact page to see and follow our social media accounts.
We’ll send them to elected officials as part of our advocacy.
We will periodically share stories to city council members, the mayor’s office, state legislators, and even members of Congress. Personal stories help us humanize our issue and make the case for a better future for us all.
We’ll help you turn your story into testimony (if you want!)
If you want to share your experience and perspective with decision makers, we can help you practice and prepare to share your story at a public hearing, at events, and in meetings with elected officials.
Why you should share your story.
There’s a reason you want things to be different. Maybe your life was altered by a car crash and you want to prevent the same thing from happening to others. Maybe your grandmother can’t drive anymore and you just want her to be able to stay independent. Maybe you’re just tired of the bus showing up late when you’re already stressed about work. Whatever it is, there’s a reason you’re here and looking to make a difference.
You may think that your story is not that interesting, but the fact is that even the littlest moments of frustration help illustrate the ways that our system is failing us and help shed light on the things that need to change.
Everyone has a story. We want to hear yours.
Story collection process
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Once you fill out the form, a Transit Columbus volunteer will reach out to you to set up an interview. This can be in person, over the phone, or through a video call.
The volunteer will interview you and record the interview so that they can make sure they’re writing authentically to your voice. Don’t worry about saying the right thing or getting it perfect, as we will edit it down later.
The interview can take roughly 30 to 60 minutes, but may be longer or shorter depending on how much you want to share.
If the interview is in person, we may ask to take a photo of you unless you have a photo of yourself that you like and want us to use.
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We’ll take the transcript from your interview and edit it down and organize it into a story. Our writers will do their best to use your own words, editing only for clarity and understanding.
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We will send you a draft to review. What’s most important to us is that this story feels accurate and authentic to you. Remember that we will never publish a story unless you have given us permission!
When you receive your story, free to send back suggestions or make specific edits yourself.
Keep in mind that we probably won’t use every single thing you talked about. We try to keep these stories about a page long.
If we write about something you said in the interview but don’t want that included, please ask us to remove it and we will!
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Once you’re happy with how your story turned out, we’ll have you sign a form to give us permission to share it.
FYI: Even once you have given us permission to use your story, you can always change your mind! Just reach out to us and ask us to take your story down.
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It’s all yours! Once your story is complete, we will let you know once we’ve posted it to our website and social media so you can share it as you like. This may take a while, as we hope to have many stories to share!
If you want to share your story directly with your elected representatives and city staff, reach out to us at info@transitcolumbus.org and we will help you prepare, practice, and share your story in a meeting or public testimony.
Become a story collector.
If you’re interested in collecting and writing stories, join our story collection team! Even if you don’t have any experience, we will help you develop the skills to interview, record, and write a story.
Before getting started, all story collection volunteers go through a training so that we can set ground rules, provide you with tools and support, and do a little practice in a learning environment. No prior experience needed!
