A training proposal for biographical volunteering and cultural solidarity

This paper presents a particular educational proposal to train adults biographical volunteers capable of collecting everyone’s life story. We refer to J. Dewey’s narrative perspective, who indicates that every form of experience can be narrated. Also J. Bruner is an important reference: the concept of “narrative truth” derives from his work, investigating the meaning of lived experience. The proposal is also based on the narrative approach of D. Demetrio: he considers autobiographical narration as a form of self-care. The training is for everyone interested in collecting and transcribing life stories, in a spirit of solidarity and defense of individual memories. To achieve this purpose it is necessary to learn the methodologies for listening to and transcribing other people life stories. At the end of the training the participants decide to create a stable biographical group: this is the most important result of the project. Their will to involve themselves in a narrative project will enable the creation of a group and will continue the biographical volunteering experience initiated in Milan.