摘要：People who work in small communities as professional “helpers” (e.g., teachers, nurses, socialworkers, ministers) are often trained in urban centres with primarily urban views of the worldassumed. In the SSHRC-funded research reported on in this session, we conducted interviews withover 40 such helpers in a range of small New Brunswick towns and villages, listening to their storiesof the challenges such work presents. Drawing on what they have shared with us, we are currentlydesigning curricula that aim to better prepare helpers in various professions to work effectively inrural areas, where the narrative complexity of everyday life is especially apparent. This can makeissues such as confidentiality, personal and disciplinary boundaries, and professional ethics uniquelyproblematic. Given such issues, the curricula we envision equips people to listen for stories thatteach: their own stories as persons and professionals; the stories of those whom they serve; and thelocal-to-global stories by which their communities are impacted and in which they are embedded. Inrespectfully and reflectively listening for multiple stories at once, “helping” becomes transformedfrom a process of “experts” responding to those “in need” to one of mutual listening and learning.
