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\u201cOne Small Step,\u201d a landmark approach to finding common ground between members of polarized American society, is coming to\u00a0the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.<\/p>\n\u201cOne Small Step,\u201d a landmark approach to finding common ground between members of polarized American society, is coming to\u00a0the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.<\/p>\n
UTC is one of just six sites in the country selected to host \u201cOne Small Step\u201d by StoryCorps, the National Public Radio-affiliated nonprofit that records, preserves and shares stories from everyday Americans.<\/p>\n
StoryCorps selected the UTC PodLab, a student podcasting studio for training the next generation of professional podcasters, as one of its six production sites. The resulting podcast episodes produced at UTC will be available for download and will air on WUTC 88.1 FM, Chattanooga’s NPR affiliate.<\/p>\n
\u201cStoryCorps could have gone anywhere to do this important creative work, and they chose us,\u201d said Professor Will Davis, who runs the UTC Podlab. \u201cIt\u2019s an honor. ‘One Small Step’ is the right project at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n
“One Small Step” organizers said the program aspires to repair the country\u2019s frayed political discourse one conversation at a time. \u201cOne Small Step\u201d invites participants to \u201cBecome part of the solution\u2026\u201d to growing divisions that \u201cpose a threat to democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The approach is to bring together two strangers, people with opposing political views, to record a 50-minute conversation\u2014not about politics, but about who they are as people. Trained facilitators guide the discussion to flow like conversation, helping participants connect and reflect on their passions, hopes and fears. The goal is not to convince them to agree but \u201cto recognize each other\u2019s humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
StoryCorps officials describe Chattanooga as a politically diverse region that can serve as a model for other communities, \u201cdemonstrating what\u2019s possible when people take time to listen to those with whom they disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n
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UTC Professor Will Davis<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cWe’re big fans of (the) work you have put together in the past and excited to bring ‘One Small Step’ to Chattanooga!\u201d StoryCorps\u2019 Melissa Velasquez said. \u201cBringing the UTC PodLab into the fold for such a unique and important project will be an extension to the work and hopefully the voices we get to hear and learn from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the next eight months, staff at UTC and the five other partners from around the country chosen by StoryCorps will be trained to facilitate and record the \u201cOne Small Step\u201d conversations on-site.<\/p>\n
In spring 2019, StoryCorps parked its distinctive Airstream trailer\/recording studio in Miller Park in downtown Chattanooga for three weeks and recorded more than 100 interviews that became the popular radio series and podcast “Tennessee Valley StoryCorps,” produced and edited by Davis.<\/p>\n
\u201cStoryCorps\u2019 visit to Chattanooga in 2019 was remarkable for everyone involved,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to growing our relationship with these master storytellers.\u201d<\/p>\n
StoryCorps is also helping its \u201cOne Small Step\u201d partner sites with strategies to reach new audiences, create broadcast content and build personal connections between community members with different political beliefs.<\/p>\n
StoryCorps conversations air weekly on National Public Radio, but StoryCorps founder Dave Isay seeks a broader audience for “One Small Step.”<\/p>\n
\u201c’One Small Step’ is a moonshot effort to counteract, one conversation at a time, the culture of contempt in this country,\u201d Isay said, explaining the extensive amount of TV and radio coverage\u2014on conservative, liberal and politically ambiguous outlet\u2014he has sought to launch the program.<\/p>\n
Since 2003,\u00a0StoryCorps has given people of all backgrounds and beliefs, in thousands of towns in all 50 states, the opportunity to\u00a0record\u00a0interviews about their lives. StoryCorps recordings are preserved in\u00a0its\u00a0archive at the\u00a0American Folklife Center at the national Library of Congress. The archive comprises the largest\u00a0single collection of human voices ever\u00a0gathered\u00a0and shares select stories with the public through\u00a0StoryCorps’ podcast episodes, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts,\u00a0digital platforms\u00a0and best-selling books.<\/p>\n
As StoryCorps notes, \u201cThe\u00a0stories\u00a0reflect\u00a0the vast\u00a0range\u00a0of American\u00a0experiences, wisdom and values and aim to remind people\u00a0how\u00a0much more they\u00a0have\u00a0in common than what divides them.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The conversations will take place in the UTC PodLab, a student studio for training the next generation of professional podcasters.<\/p>\n