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Indigenous students use digital technologies as storytelling tools

June 26, 2024Jesse Drake
2024 Indigenous Storytelling Camp students, mentors, and support staff pose in Marriott Library's Katherine's Courtyard. The University of Utah hosted the annual camp for students from the Uintah and Ouray Reservation and Navajo Nation during the week of June 3-6, 2024. Image courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of Utah.

2024 Indigenous Storytelling Camp students, mentors, and support staff pose in Marriott Library's Katherine's Courtyard. The University of Utah hosted the annual camp for students from the Uintah and Ouray Reservation and Navajo Nation during the week of June 3-6, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of Utah)

Students from the Uintah and Ouray Reservation and Navajo Nation used digital technologies to express themselves during Indigenous Storytelling Camp, supported in part by UIT’s Digital Learning Technologies (DLT) group, held at the University of Utah on June 3-6, 2024. Access a highlight video for a one-minute recap of events.

About 90 eighth- to 12th-grade students — nearly double the attendance last year — participated in the camp, which is in its sixth year (it began in 2017 but took a pandemic-related hiatus in 2020-21).

The weeklong camp included overnight lodging at Kahlert Village; visits to U facilities like the A. Ray Olpin Student Union, Crimson Lagoon outdoor pool, and Natural History Museum of Utah; a tour of Adobe’s Utah headquarters in Lehi; and visits from guest speakers like Dr. Juliana Simonetti, a bariatric surgeon with University of Utah Health who is co-director of PROMIS2U, a program designed to prepare physicians to enter the primary care profession in rural, tribal, and medically underserved areas in Utah.

Image courtesy of Tony Sams, University of Utah.

Photo courtesy of Tony Sams, University of Utah

The camp also featured workshops in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace on photography, video production, animation, 3D printing, podcasting, zines, and mural-making — all culminating in a Storyfest project showcase on June 6.

“They were very focused and capable, and participated at a high-level,” said Tony Sams, a DLT Learning Experience manager who led the photography workshop. “Many of them effectively mastered their mediums in six short but intensive hours of instruction and practice.”

Martha Macomber, director for Native American communities outreach in the Office of Undergraduate Studies’ Office of Engagement, said the camp keeps growing because “everyone feels safe and part of a community built on mutual respect.”

Holly K. Johnson, associate director for Digital Learning Innovation & Outreach Services, echoed Macomber’s sentiment, adding, “naturally, we’d love it if they decide to attend the U, but it’s more important that they feel welcome here and think of these spaces and resources as theirs.”

TJ Ferrill, assistant head of Marriott Library’s Creativity & Innovation Services, specializes in 3D printing/scanning and virtual reality services at the U.

“I told Martha, give me six to eight kids and we’ll speed run a whole 3D fabrication pipeline,” Ferrill said. “They learned the transition from concept to printable code to 3D printing itself. …  We used open-source tool chains and software and they learned how to splice for 3D printing, how to load the filament, and finally, how to 3D print.”

TJ Ferrill, center, assistant head of Marriott Library’s Creativity & Innovation Services, led a 3D printing/scanning workshop. Image courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of Utah.

TJ Ferrill, center, assistant head of Marriott Library’s Creativity & Innovation Services, led a 3D printing/scanning workshop. (Photo courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of Utah)

Rather than finding “cool tchotchkes on the internet to 3D print,” Ferrill said that students captured each other’s faces as sentimental tokens for loved ones back home. “The mother of a child is receiving a 3D print of her child’s face, and she loves that, guaranteed,” he said.

Macomber said the U is dedicated to serving indigenous communities in rural areas throughout Utah and bordering states, noting, “we don’t limit outreach to state boundaries because borders are just lines drawn in the middle of the desert.” Half of the camp attendees, she said, traveled more than eight hours by bus from southeastern Utah; the other half traveled three hours from the Unitah Basin. 

A key aspect of the camp and U outreach efforts, Macomber said, centers around college and career readiness.

According to 2022 United States Census Bureau survey, approximately 15% of American Indian or Alaska Native residents age 25 or older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. That’s up from 13% in 2010 but falls short of 36% of the overall U.S. population.

“I approach this work with the sincerity I do because I believe the university can really help these kids,” Ferrill said before walking over to a mural created by indigenous students at the 2022 camp. “The kids who made this are now University of Utah students. The kids who made this know the U is for them, they don’t have a doubt in their minds, and the kids who come after them will see that their predecessors — siblings and cousins — have found comfort and success here.”

Macomber wishes to thank the following collaborators for making this year’s camp possible: Adobe, KRCL, Marriott Library, DLT, Office of Undergraduate Studies, College of Fine Arts, U Career Services, American Indian Resource Center, and other U of U and U of U Health partners.

Below are photos of the event:

Photo courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of UtahPhoto courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of UtahImage courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of Utah.Photo courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of UtahPhoto courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of UtahPhoto courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of UtahTony Sams, left, Learning Experience manager in UIT’s Digital Learning Technologies, demonstrates the features of a camera. (Photo courtesy of Martha Macomber, University of Utah)Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Photo courtesy of Tony Sams, University of UtahPhoto courtesy of Tony Sams, University of UtahPhoto courtesy of Tony Sams, University of UtahPhoto courtesy of Tony Sams, University of UtahPhoto courtesy of Tony Sams, University of UtahScenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Scenes from Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library’s ProtoSpace. The project showcase was the culmination of a weeklong Indigenous Storytelling Camp at the U.Martha Macomber, center, the University of Utah's Native American communities outreach director, poses with students during Storyfest on June 6, 2024, in Marriott Library's ProtoSpace.

 

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Last Updated: 6/26/24