Have you completed a story exchange?

 

N4@MU is a partnership between Marquette鈥檚 Arrupe Center and the global nonprofit .

 

Mission

N4@MU鈥檚 mission is to bring meaningful, shared storytelling experiences to Marquette鈥檚 campus and the local community to:

• Help students, faculty, staff form meaningful connections with one another across campus.
• To amplify Marquette鈥檚 mission as a Catholic, Jesuit institution committed to social justice and educating students to be people for others ready to be the difference in their communities.
• Develop empathy, social connection, moral courage, a sense of belonging and agency, and hope through the fundamentally human activity of storytelling.
• Help community members practice deep listening and increase their capacity for attentiveness and focus. 
• Gain experience in honoring the inherent dignity of all individuals and their stories.
• Turn empathy, understanding, and inspiration into positive action on campus and in our communities.

As part of the Arrupe Center for Community Service and Social Responsibility, N4@MU is dedicated to giving students storytelling, leadership, and personal tools to deepen their understanding of social responsibility and to engage more fully and effectively in their work for and service to others.

 

History

Narrative 4 was founded in 2014 by National Book Award winning novelist Colum McCann and educational leader Lisa Consiglio to help build 鈥渇earless hope through radical empathy.鈥� 

 

Today, their mission is to 鈥渃reate a global community where young people learn and lead with curiosity, deep listening, and imagination.鈥� Their goal is to be in every school in the world. See their global network and reach .

 

N4@MU began as a grassroots effort in 2020 by a small group of undergraduate students, led by founding student president Mara McAndrews. Its mission was to help students to speak and connect across differences of identity, experience, and perspective through an experience of shared humanity. The pandemic quickly expanded this focus, as they story exchange became an important tool to help members of Marquette鈥檚 community to feel less isolated and alone.

 

N4@MU has led story exchanges across campus with such groups as: MUSG, Student Affairs, Office of Residence Life, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Mission, the Burke Scholars, Midnight Run, the Institute for Women鈥檚 Leadership, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Center for Peacemaking, and others. We have run dozens of story exchanges in classes across the university and in residence halls. We have also connected with students at other American universities and Universidad del Noreste in Mexico.

 

     We want to hear from you!

 

Want to know more about Narrative 4 or campus projects using Narrative 4鈥檚 story exchange methodology?

Reach out to the Arrupe Center鈥檚 Scholar in Residence and N4@MU Campus Director, Dr. Leah Flack here.