As 2011 comes to a close, a reflection on the various aspects of the Stakeholder News service provided by Axiom News to clients in a range of sectors brings to light certain common themes.

A prevalent one is the idea that people crave a new type of story, one based on the qualities that lead to success in both personal and professional realms: strength, perseverance, innovation and determination.

Stories of hardship and sorrow hold much sway in the conventional media and there is little by way of inspiration to be found within them.

Stories describing strengths and how they can be exploited to overcome challenges have much more impact, says Richard Faucher, executive director with the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI).

BACI began working with the generative journalists from Axiom News at the beginning of 2011, and over the past year around 150 stories have been shared widely.  

These stories describe innovative ideas and programs that are helping create a society that’s inclusive of everyone, regardless of ability — programs that shine light upon the gifts we all have to offer.

At the end of March when the program was still young, Richard spoke about its value.

As an organization, Richard says there are literally “hundreds of stories” to be told, and each one has the potential to inspire others.

“I think that what (the news program) does is it shows that people with disabilities have contributions … around these very important values that apply to everybody,” says Faucher.

“We’re using … the storytelling we do to continue to push forward the importance of inclusion and belonging, and I think it’s really important.”

Along with BACI, Axiom News provides stakeholder news services for three other organizations working to highlight the strengths of people who have a disability, and build a more inclusive society: posAbilities, the BC Centre for Ability and Community Living Ontario.

Visit our section devoted to inclusion to learn more about the movement.