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Students at Amity Regional High School participate in a school-wide story exchange to unify, connect, and develop more empathy in the student body.
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What does it take to run a story exchange for 1500 high school students? Take one teacher with vision, mix-in administrative support, and combine with a cadre of facilitators committed to creating unity and connection.
Amity Regional High School (ARHS) serves students from three different towns, so building a cohesive school community isn't always easy. Teacher and N4 Master Practitioner Nominee, Jeni Bonaldo organized the exchange as a first step toward fostering an environment where each student has a voice, feels seen, and sees others as human beings.
Following the exchange, a participating teacher shared, “We've been together for 3 1/2 years—dancing around each other's identities. And today changed all that in a quiet and profound way. Sure—some of the kids were reluctant at first and a few didn't attend—but those that did made discoveries and connections that left us all quiet and humbled by the bravery and honesty of what we shared with each other.”
Jeni added, “The main takeaway is that this work is worth it, even if you are afraid to do it, even if you get push back, even when it is a lot of work to organize, it is worthwhile and valuable."
In the coming months, the ARHS team will explore ways to make the story exchange a consistent part of their school culture.
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Gautam (pronounced: Gotham) Gangoli believes nothing is impossible, which makes him a perfect fit for the Narrative 4 team.
With a proven track record of driving business turn-arounds and leading cross-functional teams through scale-up and transition, Gautam thrives on challenges while empowering teams with a sense of purpose.
From multinational corporations to start-ups, Gautam has extensive experience managing businesses globally. He has worked and lived in the UK, China, Thailand, Australia, and India and has spent over 19 years in consumer goods and the tech industry.
Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Gautam recently received his second Master’s degree in Leadership and Strategy from the London Business School Sloan Fellow Program. He is a permanent resident of Australia and currently resides in London and Worcestershire, UK.
Fun fact: Gautam also speaks six languages, including basic Mandarin.
Let's get to know our new COO...
What excites you about Narrative 4?
I strongly believe that character building is a necessary part of education. The mission of N4 is just that—to equip young adults to lead with empathy. Getting the opportunity to have a positive impact on young lives and make a real difference, globally, excites me!
What are you reading?
Apeirogon by Colum McCann
The Outsiders by William N. Thorndike
Working Identity by Herminia Ibarra
Who is your favorite superhero?
Ironman. He struggles through health and relationship problems, like normal humans do. And yet, is dedicated to his cause of saving the world. He has a sense of humor, he's intelligent, loyal, caring, and committed to the greater good.
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“Colum McCann loves a high-wire act, and Apeirogon is a powerful, political tightrope walk of a novel. It’s the story of modern Israel and the story of modern Palestine. This beautiful, deeply felt book is first and foremost an extraordinary act of listening.”
—Nathan Englander, PEN/Malamud Award–winning author of
Dinner at the Center of the Earth
Photo credit: Elizabeth Eagle
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Today we’re celebrating the long-awaited release of Apeirogon, the new novel by esteemed author and N4 Co-Founder, Colum McCann!
Author Tea Obreht writes, “Apeirogon is visceral and devastating, yes; but it is also propulsive, muscular, swerving through details of life—real and imagined—with urgency, borne along on prose that is some of McCann’s finest, fully displaying his powers as a storyteller of just about supernatural ability. This book will break your heart and make you rethink how storytelling works.”
In many ways, Apeirogon is a Narrative 4 novel. It speaks to the heart of our organizational ethos—the power of personal story and the power of empathy to create real and lasting change in individual lives and ultimately the world.
In a recent newsletter Colum shared some thoughts that came up in an interview with The San Diego Union Tribune:
What does your title mean and why is it important to your novel?
An apeirogon is a shape with a countably infinite number of sides. It sounds crazy and impossible and beautiful all at once—and it is. You can be part of an infinite shape and land on any finite point within it. You can be at home and you can be everywhere. And you can, in fact, be lost too. I think it’s a word for the modern condition.
Who are Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan? Who were their daughters Abir and Smadar?
Bassam is Palestinian. He’s a father and a husband and a peace activist. He would say that he is a human being and he would regret the need to have to say that. Rami is Israeli. He is a father and a husband and a peace activist too. He would call Bassam his best friend. Abir and Smadar are their daughters who died in a conflict that the two men speak out against again and again and again.
Why did you want to tell these two families’ lives in a fictional way? What are two true facts that surprised you the most—and why?
Really it’s a story like any story. Some of it’s imagined but all of it is real. The world demands that we label things as fiction or nonfiction. Essentially every story is a fiction and it is a equally a piece of nonfiction too. I’m not trying to be a smart aleck here. This is what I truly believe. What is most important is to try to tell an honest story. Every moment of their lives surprised me. For example, Bassam is a Palestinian who studied the Holocaust while in prison. And Rami is an Israeli who triumphs in the humanity of his Palestinian neighbors.
Do you consider this a political novel? Why or why not?
Yes. It’s explicitly political. But it doesn’t tell you how or what to think. I hope that it allows you to think. It gives you a chance to make up your own mind.
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"...it’s a masterpiece, a novel that will change the world,
and you don’t hear that very often."
— The Guardian
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Share today. Change tomorrow.
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