A resource to elevate student voice and support flourishing on campus 

Centering Student Voices
Flourishing initiatives promote student well-being, engagement, and success. Research shows that environments supporting positive emotions, strong relationships, purpose, and resilience lead to improved mental health, enhanced motivation, and stronger academic outcomes (Vanderweele & Case, 2025; White et al., 2024).

While academic literature defines flourishing, in practice it has no singular definition. Students arrive with their own histories, identities, and hopes that shape what a full and meaningful life looks like to them. Because flourishing is contextual and personal, centering student voice is essential.

What Is Digital Storytelling?
Digital storytelling is an artform that blends narrative, reflection, and digital media to share experiences in accessible and creative forms. Digital stories are short videos, and when centered on student flourishing, they build social connection, strengthen collective understanding, and invite students to articulate what flourishing means in their own lives.

More than a technical skill, digital storytelling is a democratic practice that amplifies voice and fosters empathy. Video editing learning goals are secondary to the deeper work: supporting people in telling their own stories on their own terms.

Sharing This Toolkit
We created this toolkit to provide facilitators with a resource to center student voices. The lessons, activities, and frameworks are designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing facilitators to integrate digital storytelling into their own workshops and classes. We hope to help more campuses create spaces where students can articulate what flourishing means to them and contribute to environments that support it.