Title: The “Linking” Digital Storytelling Workshops for the Youth to Hand Over Hiroshima Memories

Author: Yuko Tsuchiya, Associate Professor, Hiroshima University of Economics (JAPAN)

Abstract: The Tsuchiya Lab at Hiroshima University of Economics has been working on media expression practices to hand over local memories. In the seminar class, students were involved in the “Linking” Digital Storytelling workshops. After fieldwork visits to historical sites such as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and atomic-bombed buildings, the students made two-to-three-minute slide shows with voiceover photo images. The digital stories they created were meant to express their inner thoughts, not to report objective facts and explanations. During the fieldwork, they listened to talks from volunteer tour guides and peace activists and held practical photo-taking and soundscape workshops. They created stories based on what they saw, heard, and felt during the field experiences. In the process of creating their stories, they deepened their understanding of local history and actively attached meaning to their own lives. Their digital stories had the following themes: recalling the August 6, 1945 incident, considering the meaning of peace, and discussing ways of promoting peace education. In this presentation, I show the students’ works and discuss the possibility of media workshops with peace museums for future generations.

Video: https://youtu.be/aOUjnksOvBE