International Voice Catalog

Perspectives and personal anecdotes on extremism from across the globe

Empathy Through Personal Narrative:

The International Voice Catalog aims to raise awareness on an issue prevalent on a global scale — extremism. Every individual faces extremism in some form on a daily basis. Although it varies, the impact often remains comparable. We aim to unify a diverse audience from every continent through their personal stories. Finding common ground is a good first step toward understanding the impact of extremism.

We photographed and interviewed thirteen individuals, of different ages, ethnicities, and nationalities in front of a map of the continent they are from. We asked the participants the same three questions:

Through this interview process, we found that the thirteen participants were all able to genuinely reflect upon an issue of extremism and in turn relate to each other’s adversities. The discussions brought a positive outcome of solidarity with one another’s experience and creates a sentiment of unity from sharing personal narratives.

Sharing individual versions of lived experience is effective in confronting the often harmful consequences of living with extremism. Through empathy, or self-identification into another person’s circumstance, sharing stories can bring people together.

Below is a lesson plan with additional resources for sharing personal narratives in your school or community.

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