Peace or Piece

A narrative role-playing game in which players divide into groups, choose a character to embody, and make decisions that will impact the story in real time.

Carrying On: Norine's Story

Norine Woods' son Troy was killed in a drive-by shooting in Dorchester on August 29, 1999. In this video she shares her experiences as a survivor of gun violence.

Norine Woods standing in front of a mural which reads "HOPE"

Quiet Rooms

Quiet Rooms is a 20-minute documentary about the impacts and root causes of gun violence and was co-created by Emerson students and community members impacted by gun violence.

A still from the film "Quiet Rooms" showing a mother holding the photo of her late son

Read the Berkeley Beacon article on the launch of the TNEJ initiative

ELab launches Transforming Narratives for Environmental Justice initiative, pioneering positive stories for climate action

The Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence initiative received a grant from Harvard Radcliffe Institute to bring together organizations and individuals from across the country who are doing narrative change work related to gun violence.

On Monday, October 16 and Tuesday, October 17, we came together to share and learn from each other. Participants included representatives from the medical community, arts and media schools, the entertainment industry, and community-based organizations from Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and more.

The TNGV initiative received a grant from Harvard Radcliffe Institute to bring together organizations and individuals from across the country.

A posed photograph with the group of participants in the Radcliffe workshop

TNGV convenes accelerator workshop at Harvard Radcliffe Institute

, and more! Social Impact Studios give Emerson students the chance to collaborate with grassroots changemakers across the city through the ELab’s two Social Impact Initiatives:

☮️ Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence

🌱 Transforming Narratives for Environmental Justice 

Spring 2024 Studio courses will focus on interactive filmmaking, impact producing, collaborative documentary, theatre, and more!

Learn about our Spring 2024 Social Impact Studios

Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence through Performance

Learn and use a variety of applied theatre techniques to partner with local community-based, anti-violence organizations in order to transform the dominant narratives related to gun violence in the United States.

Three individuals on stage holding newspapers

Future Imaginaries: Unwritten Stories of Climate Change & Sustainability

This course will focus on positive narratives about the future, examining how they can shape our expectations, actions, and outcomes in ways that more common gloom-and-doom scenarios have not.

A photo of round, white industrial buildings beneath a partly cloudy sky

Collaborative Documentary

Learn the fundamentals of collaborative design and documentary production skills, and apply your art and craft in direct collaboration with members of the community.

A seated individual in a hoodie in front of a green screen, with a camera person in the foreground

The Engagement Lab is thrilled to partner with Bright Lights Screening Series, Emerson Office of Sustainability, and Emerson VMA to co-present "Future Imaginaries: Visions for Environmental Justice," part of the brand new Transforming Narratives for Environmental Justice initiative. 

Lakota Nation vs the United States - Film Screening & Panel Discussion

Part of Future Imaginaries: Visions for Environmental Justice, co-presented with Bright Lights Screening Series.

Three Native American people wearing some body paint and traditional jewelry, the person on the left wears a tank top with a Native graphic on it

Join us to celebrate the latest projects from the Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence (TNGV) initiative.

 The Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence is co-hosting this semester’s Peace in Process event.  

This fall, Emerson College students, faculty, and community learning partners have worked together in two Social Impact Studios to co-create a short documentary film and an interactive theatre performance to support peace, healing, and justice in Boston. 

Peace in Process - Fall 2023

Join us to celebrate the latest projects from the Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence (TNGV) initiative. The Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence is co-hosting this semester’s Peace in Process event.  



TNGV Peace in Process | Founding Partners: Engagement Lab at Emerson College, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, MGH Gun Violence Prevention Center

Join us to celebrate the first semester of projects from the Transforming Narratives for Environmental Justice (TNEJ) initiative.

 TNEJ seeks to advance environmental and climate justice through collaborative storytelling, design, and research. 

This fall, Emerson College students, faculty, and community learning partners have worked together in two Social Impact Studios to co-create multimedia stories to imagine what environmental justice can look like in Boston. This is your chance to experience those projects in community with collaborators and partners from Emerson College, GreenRoots, Speak for the Trees Boston, the Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative, and more. 

Planting Futures - Fall 2023

Join us to celebrate the first semester of projects from the Transforming Narratives for Environmental Justice (TNEJ) initiative. TNEJ seeks to advance environmental and climate justice through collaborative storytelling, design, and research. 
