Are there any processes for defusing situations or escalating unsafe interviews up to someone at The Advocates?
- Safety is our number one priority. Story collection should only be done in places that feel safe to both the story contributor and story collector. If you do not know the person well, arrange the story collection for a public location such as a library or The Advocates’ office, not in a private home. Story collectors are not expected to make difficult decisions on their own. Whenever you feel uncertain about a request to share a story, reach out to The Advocates for Human Rights for guidance.
- If you feel unsafe during a story collection, wrap up the conversation as safely and quickly as possible—you can suggest that their story should be collected by Advocates’ staff instead. You do not need to complete any of the normal processes for closing the conversation. Contact MNTruthCouncil@advrights.org as soon as possible to explain the situation and include "URGENT SAFETY CONCERN" in the subject line.
As immigrants, there is immense risk to recording. At any point, ICE or the government could breach the system or threaten the security of story collectors. Are there other options for recording and saving story contributions?
- Individuals can submit their stories in writing or participate in a community dialogue (group story collection). We want everyone’s stories, but we recognize that sharing stories comes with risks. It is up to every individual to determine whether they should share their story.
Do the names of the people collecting the stories become part of the public record? Will they be mentioned at public meetings?
- The transcript of the story that will be part of the historical public record will not have the names of the story collectors. Names will not be mentioned at public meetings without story collector consent. However, the names of story collectors are stored in the database to track outreach and training.
Can people use an alias or provide just their first name if they are worried about security?
- People can give anonymous stories. If they are more comfortable using an alias or just a first name, their story will be treated as if they gave an anonymous story—their information will only appear in the report in summaries or paraphrases, and there will be no way for them to change their consent after they submit their story.
What happens if a story contributor mentions someone else’s name in their story?
The stories are run through a depersonalization program before being stored in the database to remove individual names.
Can/should
people name specific organizations in a story?
There is not an official redaction process for names of organizations, so story contributors should not use names if they are concerned the organization may experience negative consequences.
If the story is anonymous and will end up on the public record, will the information on the personal information form appear with the recording?
The demographic information on the form will be added to the transcript, but not the story collector’s name.
What happens with the recording? Is it kept? For
how long?
The recordings are transcribed and deleted after eight days.
Would participating in this story contribution process prevent someone from taking further legal action?
No, it would not affect a person’s right to make a claim.
Should you warn an anonymous story contributor if they reveal potentially personally identifying information about themselves during the story collection?
You can pause or stop the recording for any reason and start again (see above for the difference between iPhones and Androids). You can ask the story contributor if they are ok with the information they shared being in their story. If they are not, you should discard the story and start a new one—there is no way to rewind the recording and delete something that has already been recorded. Let the story contributor be the one to decide if something is okay to share.
If someone asks for our guidance on whether they should share anonymously, is it appropriate to give them guidance?
No. Explain the informed consent options and give the story contributor the time and space to decide what they prefer. If a potential story contributor needs more time to decide or to consult a lawyer, reschedule the story collection until they have made a decision.
If a story contributor decides to withdraw their consent, but the story was anonymous, is there a way to still withdraw the story from the app?
- No, there is no way to remove an anonymous story, as The Advocates will not be able to identify it. Please go over the consent at the end of the story to allow a story contributor a second chance to decide whether to submit the story for the public record.
Is there a specific timeline for withdrawing
consent?
- A story contributor can withdraw consent as long as the information has not been made public.
If a story contributor agrees to provide their
name, should the story collector spell out the name for the recording?
- Yes, and include their name in the file name.
What
should we do if a story contributor says that they do not want to be audio recorded?
- Refer the story contributor to The Advocates to arrange a story collection with a note taker. Story contributors can also submit their stories in a written format.
What happens if someone wants to add to their
story, especially if they submitted anonymously?
- If someone submits a named story, they can do a second story collection that can be linked to their original story. Because neither story contributors nor story collectors will have access to already submitted stories, this new story will be a separate file. If the story is anonymous, a story contributor cannot add to their original story via a second story collection. They can still go through a second story collection, but it will not be associated with their first story collection.
Are there third spaces in the community The Advocates recommend as safe, public places for story collecting?
- Yes, several churches have offered space for story collection. Many libraries also have small meeting rooms you can reserve. There are also limited spaces at The Advocates’ offices that you can reserve.
- Contact MNTruthCouncil@advrights.org if you need help finding a safe space.
Can I reach out to my church (or other space) to see if they are open to providing a safe space for story collection?
- Yes, this process is embedded in the community, and we welcome everyone to play a part in the process.
Can I use social media to tell my friends/followers that I have been trained as a story collector and to reach out to me?
- Yes, social media is a good method for spreading the word about this process.
Should we try to be conservative in requesting stories from people at the start, given the number of people who have already reached out and are waiting to share?
- No, many people are being trained, and we are creating processes that will allow the process to move more quickly. It is very important that everyone who would like to contribute their story can do it. We are all witnesses to what happened in Minnesota.
Should we collect stories from those who approved of the operations?
- Yes, the historical public record should reflect as many perspectives as people are willing to share. Minnesotans should be creating the narrative, and everyone’s story is important for a comprehensive history of the operations.
Do we want stories of resilience in the aftermath as well?
- Yes, the Executive Order expressly directs the collection of information about the dignified response of Minnesotans to protect and care for their neighbors.
If someone wants to share, do they have to get information about/from The Advocates first?
- No, The Advocates has created extensive materials about story collecting and trained many community organizations to carry out story collection. A story contributor can work with anyone who has been trained to collect stories.
Can story collectors be intermediaries to connect contributors to the Council?
- If story collectors have recommendations for people who have powerful stories and who want to participate in the public meetings, they should forward those names to the Council.
Do we need to collect stories from people who we do not know, or can we collect stories from family and friends?
- You can collect stories from anyone who would like to contribute a story regardless of your connection to the person. If you don’t know the person well, take precautions like having the story collection in a public location.
Are there any expectations for how often story collectors should collect stories?
- No, story collectors can set their own schedules and pace.
Can we collect “second-hand” information, i.e., if the contributor talks about other people’s experiences?
- Stories may include both personal experiences and experiences that others shared with the contributor. Both are valuable. For example, a person may share concerns or experiences they heard from people who could not safely tell their own stories. They may also talk about how the things they heard from others in the community impacted them.
- The focus of the story is a person’s individual experiences, including the impact of things that they saw or heard from others. We will also be collecting data from news stories and other public sources, so story contributors do not need to provide information they only learned about from secondary sources like news reports.
Can we record our own story, or do we have to ask someone else?
- Story collectors can document their own stories either by recording or writing their experiences.
- However, the process of telling the story to another person can be part of healing, and their follow-up questions can draw out details that might otherwise be overlooked if you are collecting your own story. Consider partnering with another story collector and collect each other’s stories.
What are the “deliverables” as story collectors?
- The uploaded story that includes verbal consent and information from the personal data form the person is willing to share.
Should we reach out to The Advocates about community dialogues, or will you contact us?
- Yes, reach out to The Advocates about community dialogues.
How long do you recommend we schedule for a story collection?
- The length of stories varies broadly. Story collectors should try to reserve two hours if possible to allow for questions before and after the story collection. If a story collection goes over 2 hours, we recommend scheduling a second session.
Is there a submission process for written stories?
- Written stories can be uploaded as documents in the ShareFile app or sent to The Advocates through MNTruthCouncil@advrights.org for inclusion in the database.
Are the stories transcribed? If so, how?
- The stories are transcribed using an AI-powered transcription service. The AI transcription model used is not open-source or publicly available; it is proprietary and used by the law firm partner as part of its regular work. Every transcript is reviewed by a human to ensure accuracy before it is finalized.
What do we name our recording files or additional files in ShareFile?
- If the story contributor wants to be publicly identified the file should state the name of the story contributor and the date and time of the story collection. If the story contributor is anonymous, the file should say it is anonymous and include the date and time the story was collected.
When you pause the recording, can you press play to resume right where you left off?
- Yes, you can resume the recording after you pause it. Keep in mind, this is only a feature available for iPhones. Most or all Android devices do not have a pause feature. In the case of Androids, if a pause is needed, you can save the first part of the recording and start a second recording from where you left off.
Can we record in a language other than English?
- Yes, we can translate stories from languages other than English. Please note the language of the story when you are naming the file if it is not in English.
Should my phone be on Do Not Disturb while I am collecting the story?
- Yes, if not, you run the risk of the recording being stopped partway through your story collection.
Can we train youth to be story collectors?
- Working with minors can involve complex issues around guardian consent and appropriate supports for youth. To ensure there are appropriate policies in place, we ask that youth participate in the MN Truth Council process through an organization with experience working with youth, such as a school, recreation center, or youth leadership organization. That organization should reach out to The Advocates to coordinate training.
What does the consent process look like for youth? Will they need parental consent?
- Stories will only be collected from youth within their schools or trusted organizations and follow those schools’ or organizations’ internal consent practices. The Advocates will not be directly collecting stories from youth.
Where can a story collector find the referral list?
- The referral list and other documents are available on The Advocates website “Resources and Support.” You cand it at www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/Resources_and_Support
Will story collectors have access to translated materials to pass on to story contributors?
- Different documents that you need to provide to story contributors, such as the consent options document, the personal information form, referrals, and one-pager, are being translated into different languages. The Spanish documents are already translated, and you should be able to access them by emailing the MNTruthCouncil@advrights.org in the meantime.
What do we do with the forms? Do we send them to The Advocates or to the Council?
- If you choose to use paper forms, upload them into the app with your phone and then shred the documents.
I’m still confused about the personal information form—what if they fill it out?
- Take a picture of the form in the ShareFile app and upload it to the database. After uploading, shred the document.
Will the PowerPoint of the training be available on the website for story collectors?
- Yes. The information in the PowerPoint is also summarized in the Complete Guide to Story Collection and is available on The Advocates website for story collectors: https://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/Story_Collectors
