Beneath Our Skin:
A COVID-19 Vaccination Storytelling Project
The Beneath Our Skin COVID-19 Vaccination Storytelling Project aims to better understand needs and perceptions around what will improve vaccination access and uptake among Vermonters who identify as Black and of African descent. The project will also gather insights into how race may influence attitudes, perceptions and care-giving behaviors of health care providers involved in delivering COVID-19 vaccinations. The project is led by Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.- an African-American-led nonprofit organization whose mission and niche expertise includes working with Vermont’s Black artists and integrating storytelling and other arts into public health, K12 education, agriculture, conservation, and community building.
Clemmons Family Farm will gather the stories of 100 Black Vermonters and 50 Vermont providers who have given the COVID 19 vaccination to clients who are Black Vermonters. We will use storytelling- and other creative methods with the performing arts or the visual arts- to help people share their COVID 19 vaccination stories. Stories will include the stories of Black Vermonters who are fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated, or not at all vaccinated against COVID-19.
Project participants, who will be recruited from different counties around the state, will opt into either a storytelling session using performing arts (singing, music, poetry) or visual arts (drawing, coloring or collage). The audio-recorded stories and artwork shared by participants who give their written consent will be uploaded as digital files onto the Beneath Our Skin website and with the Vermont Department of Health for public sharing. All stories will be kept anonymous, and the storytelling project team will remove any information from the audio-recorded stories or the artwork- that could inadvertently identify a participant, including altering the audio-recordings of distinctive voices that could be easily identified by listeners.
Phase 1- Arts-integrated storytelling from Chittenden County
Phase 1 of the Beneath Our Skin COVID-19 Vaccination Storytelling Project sessions were held in Chittenden County between September and December 2021. All storytelling sessions were facilitated by Clemmons Family Farm's trained collaborating artists who provided prompts and support to participants to share their stories and create art. The storytelling sessions lasted approximately 90 minutes and included materials and time for participants to create either a performing arts piece or a visual piece about their COVID 19 vaccination experience. A participation stipend of $200 was paid via Paypal to all participants who completed the sessions, shared their stories and artwork, and provided their emails for the Paypal transaction.
The project is funded by the Vermont Department of Health. Watch the 8-minute video overview above to learn more about this exciting project!
The project is funded by the Vermont Department of Health. Watch the 8-minute video overview above to learn more about this exciting project!
Phase 2- Call-in storytelling from around Vermont
In November 2021, Clemmons Famiy Farm offered a call-in service for providers and Black Vermonters to share their COVID 19 vaccination stories with a trained artist-faciltiator over the phone. Participants who met the eligibility criteria and complete a storytelling session over the phone received a $100 participation stipend.
Phase 3- Arts-integrated storytelling from Black artists around Vermont
From May - September 2021, Clemmons Famiy Farm is gathering COVID 19 vaccination stories from registered members of the Vermont African American/African Diaspora Artists Network (VAAADAN). The artists use their preferred art genre to top up their oral storytelling about their COVID 19 vaccination experiences. Participants who meet the eligibility criteria and complete a storytelling session that includes other art forms (visual, musical, singing, spoken word poetry) will receive a $250 participation stipend.
