Digital Storytelling and the Promotion of Community-LedDevelopment Initiatives in Urban Slums

Abstract

This conceptual research explores the potential of
digital storytelling in promoting community-led
development initiatives in urban slums. The
conceptual research examines the impact of using
digital storytelling platforms and processes as
tools for community engagement and
empowerment, and how they contribute to the
promotion of sustainable development practices
in those communities. To achieve its objectives,
the study focuses on case studies from several
cities in the Global South, where communitybased organisations and Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) have used digital
storytelling to raise awareness about the social,
political, economic and environmental conditions
in slums; advocate for policy reform as well as
promote community-led solutions to poverty,
violence, and environmental degradation. The
findings of the study suggest that digital
storytelling formats and processes are effective
means of engaging diverse stakeholders in urban
development, generating new knowledge and
perspectives, and fostering participatory decisionmaking processes that empower slum dwellers to
shape their own future. However, the paper also
identifies several challenges and limitations
associated with digital storytelling, including
issues of representation, power asymmetries, and
sustainability