Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Shayne and Lorna Dancey. Them and their team share their story with us below:
The UNTOLD team of Karen Shayne and Lorna Dancey began in 2019 through the introduction of a mutual friend who witnessed two powerful visionaries from different countries sharing the same passion for storytelling.
Karen Shayne of Nashville, Tennessee, is in media publishing and production. A cancer survivor, Karen had primarily worked with cancer survivorship and finding the amazing and courageous stories of survivors. With countless awards and featured in numerous magazines, Karen’s passion for finding human-interest stories has now led her around the world to find and share stories that inspire and motivate.
Lorna Dancey is a photographer, writer, and storyteller from Alberta, Canada. Her work is poignant and the compelling projects she creates are visionary and compassion-based. The plight of others and the determination to help each and every person through her lens and storytelling lays the foundation for her work.
Through their collaborative efforts of UNTOLD, both women have dedicated their lives to tirelessly advocating for the silent voice to be heard. Together, their mission is to build a bridge not just between two countries through story sharing but to invite a sense of unity among all nations to inspire hope and healing.
UNTOLD isn’t only about giving hope, but also about helping others see beyond their limitations and creating a domino effect for positive change, harmony, and mutual compassion. Learn more about the UNTOLD Project at UNTOLDProject.org.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our challenges became amazing gifts along the way. Our most powerful project was created in 2020 while working with a University student intern at Middle Tennessee State University. , Both Lorna and Karen found themselves returning to university life. Only this time, it was to help address the overwhelming crisis of mental health needs on the college campus.
With the university classroom many years in their rearview mirror, the two storytellers began talking with students and university administration both in the US and Canada to understand more about the issues students were facing today and how both groups – the student and the institution – were struggling to balance the demands of mental health on campus. From there, UNTOLD: The Campus Diaries – a mental health awareness campaign was born.
“It’s been a while since I opened a college textbook,” states Shayne. “Until the intern brought it to our attention, we weren’t focused on student mental health challenges. COVID had just begun, and Lorna and I were trying to pivot our business model. Facing the shutdown of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the intern that got our attention. She quickly schooled us on the day-to-day struggles students were facing in their daily campus lives. It was really an eye-opener to see how the needs of the students outweighed the means the educational institutions had to address their mental health concerns. The unbalance is heartbreaking but very real.”
With the help of the senior intern, Karen and Lorna expanded their already global UNTOLD project and created a new category called The Campus Diaries. Realizing the traditional model of providing services on campus was broken, Karen and Lorna took a different approach to outreach and developed a “Dear Diary” format where students could submit anonymously through the UNTOLD Project online portal the stories of their day-to-day challenges, adjustments to campus life, and their hopes for future opportunities.
As a result, the inspiring online blog began to grow, thus showcasing the ever-growing statistics for more mental health resources on campus. With the student blog and compelling photography of Dancey, UNTOLD: The Campus Diaries began to humanize the statistics of our student’s mental health journey- one story, one voice, and one picture at a time.
Today, and after two years of research and a vast collection of stories students, two books – a full-color hardback book published by Covenant Books, a diary-style journal for the student, and a powerful, traveling exhibit has been created by UNTOLD. This trilogy creates the awareness to advocate and support the need for more mental health support in higher education.
UNTOLD: The Campus Diaries trilogy is now making its way across the US and Canada, stopping upon invitation at college campuses, bookstores, and media opportunities in its efforts to change the conversation about mental health on campus and to encourage students to have a voice, share their story and perhaps, even change a life. “We have a long way to go to share this project globally, but we’re getting there,” states Dancey.”
Thanks to recent events as individuals willing to speak out, think the stigma of mental health is fading and more students are willing to share their struggles in a safe environment. UNTOLD is trying to do its part to create a safe place where students can vent, celebrate, cry, and hope. Thus far, we’ve been overwhelmed by the response of this global project and we’re looking forward to seeing where it takes us.”
As one student wrote in his anonymous story, “The struggles are real on campus. No one prepares you for the stress that is about to unfold. It’s OK not to be OK at times and it’s OK to share how you feel. It might help someone else.”
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Introduced by a mutual friend, Lorna and Karen created a project UNTOLD – a global storytelling movement mining the unknown tales of humanity.
Consisting of dynamic photojournalist created by Lorna, a video series, books, podcasts, exhibits, and full theatrical experience developed by Karen, UNTOLD exposes the remarkable stories of ordinary people– giving voice to life’s diverse experiences, challenges, and vulnerabilities in a mission that unites us all.
UNTOLD captures the essence of truth in a world of unspoken topics. From mobile, social, web, and television, to stage and print, UNTOLD draws in an audience craving to go deeper to discover the heart and hope of the human spirit.
UNTOLD also addresses the societal issues that challenge today’s monumental and controversial topics that center around mental health. UNTOLD not only also uncover the art of extreme compassion, in a non-judgmental platform while focusing on the efforts of advocacy and awareness behind the stories—just humanity at its best.
What matters most to you? Why?
Making a difference and giving people platforms for people to share their stories. For us, whether it is the photography, stories, exhibits, or stage shows with UNTOLD, there are so many hidden gems we can find and share with those we meet.
We want someone to say they are better people now for sharing their stories. We live by the motto, “If we all could walk around with our stories written on our chests for everyone to read, we would all be much more compassionate, kinder, and less judgemental towards each other.”
Love matters. It changes lives. It encourages and for us, it has built a bridge between two countries where Lorna and I can sit and create impact for years to come.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: UNTOLDProject.org
- Instagram: @Untoldproject
- Facebook: @UntoldMovement
- Twitter: @Untoldmovement
Image Credits
Lorna Dancey of Lorna Dancey Photography
