Have you ever heard a story that moved you? Maybe a story brought encouragement when you were going through a difficult time or taught you something from a perspective different from your own. Maybe you seek to share stories so others can experience your joys and pains and grow to understand your perspective. With the New City Players, you can. This group has organized monthly gatherings along the Treasure Coast to promote their new project City Speaks.
This project was created so that people from the same city can “share stories, speak truth, and listen to each other.” According to the group’s website, the mission of the project is:
“To give individuals an opportunity to share personal stories of humor, beauty, pain, & change, provide a platform where individuals can speak truth to power, and create a space where our community can practice public civility and empathy through active listening.”
But what is “speaking your truth” and “truth to power?”
These are phrases that the group uses often throughout their website and in the description of their events. According to The Guardian, speaking truth to power is speaking “passionately about something important to them that they [believe] should be important to all of us.” In the article, people ages 16-60 got to share what was important to them while still retaining the theatric flair that the medium is built on. The same is true of City Speaks.
At one of these events, people are given 5-10 minutes to share their story with the group. At the end there is a time of fellowship where people can meet each other and chat about what they heard. In order to participate in these events, there are several guidelines to follow so that each person can have the best experience that they can. These guidelines include being an active listener, using good story-telling techniques, an aim to be constructive with one’s story, being open, and practicing civil discourse.
The next event takes place on the 26th of July
at the Switchbox Coffee Roasters at
3446 NE 12th Ave, Oakland Park, 33334
The event runs from 7-9 pm
Admission is free.
To learn more about this outreach, visit http://www.newcityplayers.org/cityspeaks/ where you can also choose to submit your own story. Or call (954)-591-0818 to speak to a member of the New City Players.
I want to close with bringing us back to the very beginning. From time immemorial, stories have been rooted in humanity. Every culture has its own interpretation of the creation of the Earth, tales of wisdom, histories of ancient kingdoms, and many tales of heroes and what they stood for. Christianity is not exempt from types of stories, by any means. From Adam telling of his banishment from the Garden of Eden to his descendants and Jesus sharing parables to thousands, to C.S. Lewis’ allegories and Billy Graham’s memoirs, Christianity throughout the ages has been built on stories and people speaking truth. What makes Christianity different from these other cultures is that it is grounded in the truth written by the great Author himself. And we as those who seek to grow to be like Him, are encouraged to continue this great tradition and speak truth through the stories and experiences that He has placed in our lives.
By Alyssa Dickerson
Alyssa Dickerson is pursuing a BS in Exceptional Student Education at Indian River State College. Her goal is to reach children with special needs and share with them the joys of reading and writing. She is a born Floridian but always dreamed of living a quiet but adventurous life in the UK. You will often find her reading a book and seeking to spread the love and kindness of Christ to others.
