This presentation showcases an innovative community engaging digital educational approach utilized by an inter-continental team of scholars in partnership with community members. The presentation describes the process of co-developing the community engaging course, Digital Storytelling for Social Change, emphasizing its potential to empower students, academics and community members towards social change. The project presence how an innovative project can create a thriving community by co-creating stories that promote social change. The collaborative curriculum development of an interdisciplinary specialization in Digital Storytelling for Community Development highlights how an innovative co-developed curriculum can promote and empower diverse voices to be heard, challenging traditional knowledge hierarchies and fostering a more inclusive and learning environment while empowering a community to thrive. The project relates very closely to the People-Driven Solutions track of the 2025 CDS conference. The co-developed Digital storytelling educational specialization combines storytelling with a mix of technology and uses videos, podcasts, websites, photos, animations, music, social media and more to tell community stories in an effort to drive social change. The project fosters cultural sensitivity, production flexibility, and exposure to diverse people and cultures, along with collaborating with diverse groups and organisations, which enhance interpersonal and digital skills. In any community, community members generated solutions tend to play a pivotal role in driving innovations and solutions. The project focuses on inclusive practices that empower diverse voices and talents in the community by giving people a voice, increasing their civic participation and facilitating the creation of communities. The involvement of the community in the digital story telling for social change educational specialisation allows community members involved in the project to co-create stories fostering a sense of unity and belonging while rallying support for causes and driving local and global change. The project allows all people involved to grow in their understanding of diversity while allowing community members to work collaboratively in creating community solutions. The project help participants find ways to break though social disconnection by sharing inspirational and emotional digital stories.
