Social Work Corner – The Power of Storytelling – July 2026

The Power of Storytelling

In the midst of ongoing uncertainty, daily injustices, and the emotional weight carried by many unaccompanied youth, it’s easy to only focus on the challenges present. CILA invites you to not lose sight of the power of storytelling. It is through your client’s life stories that you understand their journey, goals, and who they are as individuals. Whether you provide legal representation, social services, or other forms of advocacy, you have the opportunity to not just walk alongside unaccompanied youth as they navigate complex systems but also be a witness to their story and journey. There is power in very simple acts of creating time and space for youth storytelling, and we encourage you to do so.

Storytelling gives youth ownership of their narrative: By using storytelling as a tool to share who they are, youth are able to express their dreams, share their talents, culture, and aspirations. Storytelling empowers youth voice and promotes self-determination by giving back the power to youth to be active participants in shaping their own narratives, challenge labels placed on them, and owning their decisions. As advocates, your role is not to interpret or write a young person’s story, but to lift up their voice, affirm their identity, and reinforce that their perspective is important and valuable.

Storytelling humanizes the immigration experience: By creating deeper emotional connections, above the statistics and stereotypes, storytelling reminds the listener how deeply personal a youth’s immigration journey is. Storytelling emphasizes the youth’s lived experience, resilience, and strengths, rather than seeing the youth as a statistic or just a case. As advocates and active listeners, you remind youth that storytelling can be a journey of emotions and feelings that connect human beings for a shared purpose.

Storytelling builds confidence and reinforces a youth’s identity: By creating a supportive environment that affirms a youth’s sense of self, the youth is able to feel safe and comfortable to share their full self, in the intersectionality of their identity. Intersectionality of identity can include areas such as, (race, language, gender identity, religion, ability, age, education, culture, and more).When youth are encouraged to bring their full selves to tell their story, they can embrace the fullness of who they are. Storytelling can provide an opportunity for youth to organize their experiences into a narrative that helps them recognize their own values, strengths, and dreams. As an advocate, your role is to listen without judgement, ask curious questions, affirm the youth’s identity, and create space for the youth to define themselves rather than allowing a system to define them.

Storytelling honors culture: When stories are shared, they can offer an opportunity for intergenerational learning. Stories carry family traditions, cultural values, language, music, history, spirituality, faith practices, and community knowledge through generations. For many adolescents, especially those from structurally marginalized communities, storytelling can strengthen cultural identity and foster pride in their heritage and their roots, cultivating a stronger sense of belonging. Recognizing and respecting a youth’s cultural identity can build trust, strengthen rapport, and support healing in a culturally responsive way. Advocates should approach a youth’s narrative with cultural humility, listen with openness and respect, and acknowledge that their culture is an asset that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Storytelling challenges stereotypes: By looking beyond the labels, legal status, public narratives, or adversity experienced, storytelling highlights the youth’s perseverance and resilience. A personal narrative can many times reveal how larger systems such as racism, poverty, community violence, or limited access to resources shapes the life of a young person. Storytelling can help youth develop an understanding of how systemic factors and societal labels have impacted their experiences, shifting the focus away from perceived individual flaws or shortcomings. As advocates, you want to listen to broader themes, misleading stories, and systemic inequities to advocate for each youth, community, and push for equitable policies.

Storytelling builds connection and community: By connecting with others who have similar experiences and building understanding of different cultural backgrounds, storytelling brings youth together and validates their lived experience to amplify their voice. Through the vulnerability of sharing their story and hearing others’ experiences youth connect, normalize emotions, reduce feelings of isolation, and create opportunities for community. As advocates, you play an important role in creating safe spaces, setting respectful norms, and ensuring that youth feel comfortable to share and feel heard.

To end, storytelling has the power to change narratives, empower youth, foster understanding, and inspire meaningful change. When unaccompanied youth have the opportunity to share their stories on their own terms, they reclaim their voice, challenge harmful narratives, build connections with others, and celebrate their identity. Storytelling can be a form of self-expression for unaccompanied youth and move social change forward. We understand that this work is challenging, and the past year has tested your resilience with more setbacks, and fewer wins. We want to remind you that sometimes the most powerful contribution you can make is bearing witness to an unaccompanied youth’s story, reminding them of their value, worth, and humanity. Thank you for being a listener and a witness for unaccompanied youth.

By CILA Social Work Team