Protocols for sharing stories
Protocol for Stories on RAV Website.
Rationale
The Blog on the RAV website has the purpose of starting conversations. It is designed to open doors for people to enter into an understanding of the impact of family and intimate partner violence on children and young people. We are mindful of the horrific nature of the experiences of many people who have suffered in these circumstances. We are also mindful that we are providing a public website that we want to be accessible for all audiences, including young people in secondary schools. We respectfully inform our readers and contributors that we must tell stories in such a way that we honour the courage and the strength of our contributors whilst ensuring that the language and content that we share does not result in our website being blocked by censorship filters.
Guidelines
- The words of the story told by a contributor will be kept as close as possible to that person's own voice.
- Language and content that may result in censorship blocks will be edited so that meaning is maintained. Thecontent that has been withdrawn will be alluded to so that a mature reader will be able to understand the full impact of the story.
- Sexually explicit content will be edited to ensure awareness without the explicit content.
- All names and locations must be altered to protect identities and privacy.
- All contributors will be invited to proof read and endorse the final copy prior to publication.
- Contributors will need to be over the age of 18. We hope to hear the stories of younger people; however, personal adult consent needs to be given to ethically publish such personal stories.
- Contributors need to be aware that there are team members who are mandatory notifiers of any child or young person attending school who presents to them as being 'at risk'. Thus, confidentiality of children and young people cannot be guaranteed.
- No names of people or places will be used under any circumstances.
Approach to the gathering of stories
Our team will be available at all community events and travelling alongside the runners. The writers will openly be identified and actively be engaging in conversations with community members as we travel.
We will travel with hard copy of a previously published blogs and we will offer these for sharing and as discussion starters.
Stories will be recorded and written up, sent to the story teller for approval and then published. No story will be published whilst in the town of the story teller. The blogs will not be in order of collection and will include stories collected prior to the run mixed within the other narratives. This should minimise the ability to identify the story teller.