Everyone has a story to tell.
Not everyone has a listener.
But, Dear World gives voice to the storyteller in each of us, with social media as the forum.
Black markers — which the nonprofit organization describes as “messages-on-skin” — open dialogues through personal stories that are universally shared.
Dear World brought its college tour to the campus of Saint Leo University on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
More than 300 Saint Leo students and faculty picked up markers to write messages on their face, arms or other body parts. With a few words – less than a 149-character tweet – they defined the emotions and experiences in their lives.
In the next week, participants will receive emails with their portraits. Some have been posted onto Dear World’s Facebook page.
Collectively, all of the stories from the interactive portrait project touched on themes such as love, friendship, racism, bullying, depression, a lack of self-esteem and the death of family or friends.
There is greater understanding when stories are shared, said Katie Greenman, storyteller, photographer and facilitator with Dear World.
“They are speaking not just for themselves, but for others,” said Greenman. “You’ve got to know you are not alone.”
Words have meaning
Freshman Justine Jolly, 18, and her father, Lawson Jolly, shared similar messages of faith.
Across her arms, Justine Jolly chose the words “Forgiven/Romans 5:8.”
“God shows his ultimate love for us by sacrificing his life even when we are all sinners,” she said. “I feel God is the most important part of my life.”
Lawson Jolly, director of counseling at Saint Leo, made his message, “Love God, Love Others.”
“I think about maybe one of the most important beliefs I hold, it’s my faith,” he said. “Jesus asked, what is the greatest commitment? It was to love God and love thy neighbor as thy self. It sums up what I should be trying to do.”
Senior Baylie Cowart looked into the camera and held up her arms as Greenman snapped her portrait. Three words, one each on her arms and one at her throat, spoke for her – “I’m Not Broken.”
She didn’t give into depression, despite the trauma of losing her stepmother in a death by suicide.
“Instead of being held back by the past, I want to look to the future,” she said. “It inspires me every day.”
The Dear World project helps people be honest with themselves, Cowart said.
“It starts asking questions and it gets a dialogue going,” she said. “It helps the community.”
Dear World started as a nonprofit fundraising event in the destructive aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2009. Founder Robert X. Fogarty, then working in the New Orleans’s mayor’s office, asked residents to write a “love letter” to the city – Dear New Orleans.
Since then, Dear World has taken its portrait project worldwide, sharing 50,000 portraits in the languages of the world as of spring 2016. Stops have included Boston after the marathon bombing, India with victims of child slave trade, and a special project to ask people around the world, “How to Say I Love You.”
People are empowered by telling their stories, Greenman said.
“We don’t change the world,” she said. “We take the pictures of those who are.”
Storyteller session
Fostering understanding and common ground were among the goals of the visit to Saint Leo.
A special storytelling session on Sept. 22 highlighted five stories from students and faculty. In a press release, Greenman said, “They were chosen not because they were the best, but because they are reflective of others’ stories.”
Tessy K. Jacques performed “slam poetry” and recited “Midnight Rituals.” Others were Joseph D. Thompson III, a junior from New Jersey; Edson O’Neale, director of student activities; Jamilah Ray, a senior from Orlando; Tiffany Fettig, campus minister and Saint Leo Class of 2016; and Dean D. Everton, a sophomore from Brandon.
In middle school, Collin Valenti often played a game at Applebee’s Restaurant, known as “hoop jones.” Scoring a basketball hoop, brought cheers echoing the game’s name.
The moniker stuck and now as a freshman at Saint Leo, friends know him as Hoop Jones. And, the nickname suits his passion for making up rhymes.
In fun, he wrote #stophoopjones2016 across his arms.
“I’m going to own that (name),” he said. “It’s become such a thing. It’s fun to be the face of your own story.”
Freshman Fabiola Rosado thought about friendship when she wrote “I’ll Be There.”
“My friends come to me for advice,” she said. “I talk to them and give my best advice. I listen to them.”
Sophomore Michael Williams writes lyrics from phrases that pop into his mind. A failed romance, and a song he wrote, were his inspiration for “With Time, Comes Change.”
“I spiraled into a place I don’t want to be,” Williams said. “After the pity party, I tried to find out who I am and grew a lot. It’s nice to see (Dear World) does this.”
Junior Dallas Jasper liked the message that Dear World sends with its portraits.
“I kind of had to think about myself, for a few minutes,” she said.
She is on the Saint Leo volleyball team. One day aboard the team bus, the coach asked his players to pick words to describe how they want to be seen.
Jasper chose “confident,” and for Dear World, she stuck with that word as her message.
She sometimes didn’t feel sure of herself, but she said, “I’ve tried to work on that. I’ve become more competent with my self, embracing that.”
The Student Government Union, Campus Activities Board, Student Activities, Multicultural and International Services Office, Residence Life, and Counseling Services sponsored the event.
To see portrait photos, visit Facebook.com/dearworld/photos.
Published October 5, 2016
