Work

Wyoming Voices: Digital storytelling as a participatory method to co-identify community priorities amid energy transitions

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: While energy justice and just transition frameworks emphasize engaging a wide range of stakeholder voices in decision-making processes, strategies for doing so remain limited. This project investigated digital storytelling as a participatory method for identifying community priorities in southwest Wyoming where communities are experiencing interrelated wellbeing challenges amid energy transition. In concert with a community-based organization, participants developed first-person audio-visual narratives ( n = 8) about their assets, needs, and hopes for the future. The community-academic research team then conducted focus groups wherein other community members ( n = 12) viewed and discussed the stories for robust community-based co-identification and interpretation of priorities. Thematic analysis showed five key priorities: maintaining community; family; nature and landscape; social services; and economic priorities. Findings show that community priorities are diverse, community members demonstrate resilience, and there is no single narrative of energy transition and wellbeing in southwest Wyoming. Moreover, watching stories humanized storytellers for audience members. Digital storytelling provides a tangible, accessible, and inclusive approach for engaging stakeholders to share and identify community priorities, which is a necessary (though insufficient) aspect of energy justice and just transition efforts. We present a detailed methodology and discuss strategies for replicating and adapting it such that community-based organizations could implement this approach in their energy transition efforts on a community, statewide, and/or regional scale.

Source: Energy and Climate Change

DOI: 10.1016/j.egycc.2025.100227

Authors: Darylann Aragon, Rachael Budowle, Alyssa Wechsler Duba

Institutions: University of Wyoming, National Laboratory of the Rockies, Virginia Tech

Language: English

Topic: Participatory Visual Research Methods

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Reduced inequalities, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,570