Barkada Circle’s 2013 storytelling 
workshop series begins with a 2-part social media offering:
Social Media 1: Who is the Face (and Voice) of Your Mission?
Thursday, May 16
5:30–8:00pm
i.c.stars
415 N Dearborn, 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60654
We bring together a diverse group of nonprofit storytellers who use social media strategically to keep their audience actively engaged with a clear story about the critical role each supporter plays and how they can make a difference. Our discussion leaders include our friends from i.c.stars, The Arthritis Foundation, and Big Shoulders Fund. i.c.stars is a social enterprise that trains low-income young adults in technology, providing them with employment opportunities and preparing them for community-based advocacy. The Arthritis Foundation puts a face on the disease, and aims to improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases. Big Shoulders Fund provides support and a compelling voice to Catholic schools in the neediest areas of inner-city Chicago.
5:30pm – 6:00pm Introductions
6:00pm – 7:30pm Panel Discussion
7:30pm – 8:00pm Networking
We will serve coffee and tasty nibbles. Sign up early and your guests can come at no charge.
Register for Part 1
Social Media 2: Clarify and Amplify Your Story
Thursday, June 13
5:30–8:00pm
Open Books
213 W. Institute Place, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60610
This hands-on workshop is a practical application of the talking points from the May panel discussion for translating your story into an engaging social media campaign. We will get you started with easy-to-use worksheets outlining key components in a dynamic structure. This session is ideal if you are in the early stages of using social media in your marketing or if you’re looking for a refresher. We are fortunate to have as our presenter Alyssa VandeLeest, Founder of Prosper Public Relations, a marketing consultancy for social impact companies, and The Impact Innovators, a popular blog and community for social entrepreneurs. Alyssa spends her days helping mission-driven businesses raise awareness, build movements and inspire action. In 2011, she was recipient of one of PRWeek Magazine’s exclusive Personality of the Year Awards.
5:30pm – 6:00pm Introductions
6:00pm – 7:30pm Workshop
7:30pm – 8:00pm Networking
We will serve coffee and tasty nibbles. Sign up early and your guests can come at half price.
Register for Part 2
In this case, words alone cannot tell the story of a young boy discovering his passion for the violin. Hearing his name called out loud, echoing in the halls, and stepping onto the stage at his first recital makes him feel like the most important person at that specific moment in time. With every stroke drawing the hair of the bow across the strings, he remembers every single time his parents took him to a class at The People’s Music School, a nonprofit offering free music education in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. He remembers looking forward to his teacher showing him how to play a new composition. The sound takes him back to his hours of practicing the same piece, over and over. But today, on that stage, it feels like he is playing it for the very first time. After his performance, he picks up his sheet music, tucks it under his arm and takes a bow. As he exits and listens to the applause, he is thinking about his new performance when he comes back to the same stage next year.