Join Danielle Wetmore, our Director of Education, in weekly Story Circles on Zoom. Each week will be an opportunity for participants to converse with one another about our personal connections to belonging in a space of warmth, strength, empathy, beauty, and community.

Our intention is to be in community and and tell stories to create connections. These stories are not intended to be polished or shared outside of the group, unless the storyteller chooses to do so. Each week will have a theme, which will be shared at the previous meeting and emailed to those who opt in to news and updates when they register.

The Story Circles will be held on Wednesdays from 6 pm to 7:30 pm PT on Zoom until the end of April. They will never be recorded. You can come to 1 session, 4 sessions, 10 sessions, or all of them.

 

  • Sessions will start with a story from our Immigrant Voices collection related to the theme of the week.

    After reflecting on the Immigrant Voices story and theme of the week, everyone will have the opportunity to share a theme-based story about their own life.

    Throughout the session, we will create and hold space for stories in the goal of connection, community, and empathy. Please come as you are. We all have differing needs and capacities and we value you as who you are right now. Perfection is not the goal. Community is.

  • Throughout the series, we will adhere to the following guidelines:

    • One person speaks at a time.

    • Everyone participates fully (actively listening counts).

    • Anyone can pass when it is their turn, but everyone attends with the expectation to share a story at some point.

    • We share stories about our own lives and experiences.

    • We tell our stories from our memory and guts rather than notes.

    • We listen generously, grounded in integrity, respect, and kindness.

    • We are all in community with each other. The only thing we are experts in is our own story.

    • Perfect English fluency is not expected or required.

    • Stories will NOT be shared outside of the group by anyone other than the storyteller. You own your story.

    • We will NOT share your identity outside of the group.

    We uphold the values that no human being is illegal, immigration is a positive action, and immigrants are important members of our communities. Hate speech will not be tolerated.

    None of the Story Circles will ever be recorded.

    The facilitator holds the right to remove any participant from the Zoom room for any reason, including but not limited to hate speech, not adhering to group guidelines, and bullying.

    In line with these values, we would also like to share the Mission, Vision, and Values of AIISF here.

  • Sessions will be held every Wednesday for the next 3 months. Specific dates are:

    • February 19th

    • February 26th

    • March 5th

    • March 12th

    • March 19th

    • March 26th

    • April 2nd

    • April 9th

    • April 16th

    • April 23rd

    • April 30th

    Come to one, come to all, or come sometimes!

 

To register and/or opt in to weekly updates, please fill out the registration form at the bottom of this page!

 

Questions?

Please see our FAQs below or feel free to reach out to Danielle Wetmore with any questions at dwetmore@aiisf.org or 415-658-7691.

 

    • Who is Danielle Wetmore?

      Danielle is our Director of Education. She has worked in the field of immigration history education for nearly 15 years and is the daughter/granddaughter of immigrants. She has had the honor to hear stories of strength, solidarity, resilience, partnership, heartbreak, and hope from her own immigrant family as well as museum visitors and students. You can learn more about Danielle on our staff page.

    • What is Immigrant Voices?

      Immigrant Voices is an online resource by AIISF to preserve the rich stories of immigrants. The Story Circles are inspired by Immigrant Voices; at each session we will reflect upon a story from the Immigrant Voices archive.

    • What will happen to the stories I share?

      Your story is your own. It is your choice if, when, and how you share it. We will never record a Story Circle and will never share your story outside a session without your permission.

    • Are the sessions recorded?

      No. We will never record a Story Circle.

    • How can I join a Story Circle?
      Sign up for the series using the registration form at the bottom of this webpage. You only need to sign up once to receive weekly invitations to the meetings.

    • Do I need to register with my real name?

      You may register with your name or an alternative alias. If you would like, you can also sign up using an alias email address, as long as it can still receive Zoom invitations.

    • Are you keeping a list of participants?

      No. We are not keeping a list of participants.

    • Do I have to come to all the sessions?

      You can come to one session, some sessions, or all!

    • What are Story Circle themes?

      Each Story Circles will focus on a theme. The theme for the week will be shared at the previous meeting as well as emailed to those who opt into the Story Circle email list.

      Example themes: hope, community, help, belonging, and more!

    • What if I don’t have a story to tell?

      This work is intersectional; come for community and support even if you don’t think you have an immigrant story to share—you may find you have one!

 
 

Register Here!

To sign up, submit your email address below. To receive Story Circle Zoom links, your email must be a real, working address.