The focus of the ArenA project was to research and develop an interactive learning resource specially designed for the people of Greater Pollok. This resource enables users to develop new transferable skills that will benefit them and their local community – through a process of creative research methods and community consultation, StoryBox, a resource for creating and viewing stories, was designed.

The StoryBox project is investigating how creative approaches can be used to develop technological fluency within communities. The main project outcome is an online storytelling and sharing application called StoryBox. An innovative engagement programme was designed to explore the area of Greater Pollok, and identify local needs. Creative techniques such as cultural probes were used to gather different types of information such as people’s interests and experiences. Emphasis was placed on exposing issues that people face in their daily lives and included looking at attitudes towards where they live, likes and dislikes, and their experiences of learning.

To expand this process, a core group of local people were invited to work with professional filmmakers to produce a range of individual stories in the form of fifteen high quality 2min films. This series of visual stories and collective memory was interpreted to form StoryBox. Working with a design team and user group of local people, the project team undertook the building of StoryBox to extend and encourage innovation in a shared online narrative.

StoryBox has been launched with a bank of content created by local people. It contains a wealth of video, text, picture and audio stories which come from memories, opinions, rants and raves. Users of StoryBox stem from the casual browser to those who engage with StoryBox through workshop activity, to help develop their media and IT literacy. In addition to capturing all those stories that are often lost in everyday life, StoryBox is a tool that can be incorporated into a wide range of learning contexts.

StoryBox is highly relevant to the Urban Learning Space (ULS) vision and mission - to engage people in learning and relationship building within and between communities in Glasgow using a range of new media. StoryBox has enabled Urban Learning Space to utilise existing, and build new capacity, in the area of educational software. The programme has enabled ULS to fulfill ArenA project objectives, and expand into a piece of work independently. The software is being used in dedicated cyber cafes in the area, where users upload their own content in the form of stories, opinions, information and memories. StoryBox is also now used out with ArenA in workshops, in order to help people develop creative writing skills, IT and digital literacy. Being an open source, web-based application, StoryBox is being promoted more widely, encouraging users from any location and background to submit their stories online.

StoryBox is open source and intended for replication by groups and organisations of many types. Intended as a tool to engage users in digital technology, creative writing, storytelling and sharing, StoryBox has the potential to adapt to a wide variety of audiences with varying needs. Suitable organisations could include schools, training providers, youth organisations, community centres, informal education projects, councils and other public bodies, commercial businesses and the healthcare sector, amongst others. StoryBox is a highly transferable application which can have many uses and outcomes and add value in many areas.

Organisations intending to replicate StoryBox need to ensure that they have existing technical expertise and knowledge of community education, wither internally or externally. Research capability is also essential to ensure that any product delivered is relevant and sensitive to user requirements.

StoryBox is an online storytelling resource which will allow users to view, create and respond to stories contained within the Storybox. Stories can take the form of text, video clips, photographs and audio clips and come directly from local people who StoryBox depends on to keep it alive.

StoryBox was designed with and for people from the Greater Pollok area as a means of encouraging people to digitally engage. StoryBox is a place to share stories about anything and everything: memories, rants, raves, burning issues, personal experiences and everyday life. It is a place to capture all the stories and conversations that are often lost and share them with your friends and family.

StoryBox has been launched with a bank of content created by local people. Since March 2007, via online promotion, storytelling workshops and seminars, engagement with and usage of StoryBox has continually increased. StoryBox can and has been incorporated into other Urban Learning Space projects, including Creativity Works - an online learning initiative for young people not in employment or education. Potential applications of StoryBox are continually being explored via workshops with various community groups, in order to assess how it can best be tailored to meet the needs of local people.

With a focus on knowledge sharing, and developing the media and IT literacy of its users, StoryBox is an ideal tool with which to encourage and digitally engage participants from a variety of backgrounds and communities. In addition to creative writing and digital skills promoted by StoryBox, communication skills and relationship building within and between communities, using ICT, are key outcomes of the project.

StoryBox is intended as an ongoing initiative. User testing via workshops and seminars will continue with diverse groups, such as young people, adults with learning difficulties and commercial organisations.