Wired for Empathy: Why We Can’t Resist Good Narrative

Jack London’s Call of the Wild transports readers to the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, where sled dogs are in high demand. Image from <a href="https://myfavoritewesterns.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/the-call-of-the-wild.png"><span class="s1">myfavoritewesterns.com</span></a><span class="s2">. — Jack London’s Call of the Wild transports readers to the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, where sled dogs are in high demand. Image from myfavoritewesterns.com.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Stories make great advocacy tools. In a three-part blog series that launches with this post, school psychology graduate student Perry Firth explores how stories serve important functions in our day-to-day life, a reality that social justice advocates can harness for awareness raising and motivating public action. From the role of stories in social communication, to our brain’s response to compelling narrative, this series illuminates the “why” behind the human love of stories.

“This Is Our Place”: A Journey From Illness and Homelessness to Stability and Community

Nick Hodges and Charlotte Wheelock experienced homelessness with their two young sons after Nick became ill with spinal stenosis. They talk about their journey from homelessness to stability in a <a href="http://kuow.org/post/homeless-and-sick-i-would-just-go-restroom-and-cry" target="_blank">StoryCorps conversation</a> that airs on KUOW today. Image by StoryCorps. — Nick Hodges and Charlotte Wheelock experienced homelessness with their two young sons after Nick became ill with spinal stenosis. They talk about their journey from homelessness to stability in a StoryCorps conversation that airs on KUOW today. Image by StoryCorps.

One year ago, our advocacy manager interviewed Charlotte Wheelock for the StoryCorps "Finding Our Way" project. At the time, Charlotte's family was homeless, and her husband Nick was in the hospital with a paralyzing spinal illness. Just six months later, everything had changed. Charlotte and Nick share their story in a moving StoryCorps conversation.

“You Allowing Us to Have a Stable Home Changed Everything”

Alena Rogers and Raj Kumar's StoryCorps "Finding Our Way" conversation is the latest to air on KUOW. Image by StoryCorps.

Raj Kumar took a chance by renting an apartment to Alena Rogers, a formerly homeless single mother. In their StoryCorps "Finding Our Way" conversation, which airs on KUOW today, Alena tells Raj how having a stable home changed her life. They came together through the Landlord Liaison Project, which provides support for landlords who look beyond standard tenant screening criteria.

“That Night, We Slept Out on the Street”: A Young Refugee’s Story

In the newest StoryCorps "Finding Our Way" interview, Solomon Muche tells his mentor Elizabeth Stein about his family's experience with homelessness. Image credit: StoryCorps.

Since 1984, King County has been the fifth-largest recipient of refugees in the U.S. Many refugees are at risk of homelessness, suffer from loneliness and depression, and face instability. Despite this uphill battle, many refugees, like a remarkable young man whose story is featured on KUOW today, find community support and achieve their dreams.

A Goodbye Post: Taking My Own Advice

Cute kitten waving goodbye. Thanks to http://briff.me/2015/01/02/animals-waving-goodbye/

This is a first for Firesteel. It's a goodbye post. After four amazing years with the YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish and Firesteel, today is Erin Murphy's last day.

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