Call for Workshops: DiasporaDNA Story Center

We are excited to invite passionate educators, artists, creatives, historians, cultural practitioners, genealogists, and community activators and culture keepers of all kinds to lead 2-hour interactive workshops as part of our ongoing programming at DiasporaDNA!

DiasporaDNA is dedicated to culturally conscious exploration. Our work honors Black history, world cultures, and the continuum of diaspora experiences — preserving archives, sparking arts mindfulness, tracing roots, and igniting citywide creative action.

We are currently seeking workshop proposals centered around our four core program strands;

Art: Creative expression, visual arts, performance, storytelling through making, mindfulness-infused art practices, creative  art therapy workshops, music, movement, crafting and more explorations of diaspora aesthetics and healing through heritage.

Archives: Engaging with historical records, uncovering hidden narratives, archival research methods, public humanities, reading rooms, and conscious-raising education using primary sources and preserved materials.

Ancestry: Kinkeeping and genealogical insights, oral histories, tracing lineages, reclaiming severed connections, legacy reflection, memory, traditions, and personal/cultural identity discovery.

Activations: Community engagement, public programming, performances, scavenger hunts and ways to uplift Philly Festivals stories and cultural preservation.

Workshop Details 

• Duration: 2 hours (hands-on, discussion-based, or hybrid formats welcome)  
• Audience: Open to community members, families, youth, elders, adults interested in diaspora heritage  
• Format: In-person (Philadelphia area preferred), virtual, or hybrid  
• Compensation: We honor the labor that facilitators bring to this work. Selected facilitators will be compensated, with details shared upon selection.
• Goal: Foster connection, creativity discovery, reflection, and empowerment

If you have a workshop idea that aligns with one or more of our strands and celebrates the richness of diaspora experiences — from ancestral reconnection to creative expression and community activation — we want to hear from you!