Digital Storytelling Studio
RMIT Education Portfolio — RMIT Library
Project Leads: Assoc. Prof. Clare Dyson and Adriene Rodriguez
Project Summary
The RMIT Library Digital Storytelling Studio created a space for people to build digital skills, confidence and creative capability within RMIT’s City Social Innovation Precinct.
Located in the RMIT Library Makerspace on Franklin Street, the studio operated as an innovation lab, research hub and site for industry focused learning. Supported by Adobe Coaches, it brought together expertise in digital pedagogies, digital problem solving skills and networking resources, building on existing resources to deliver accessible, hands-on learning opportunities.
The Digital Storytelling Studio was housed within the RMIT Library Makerspace on Franklin Street. It also utilised existing resources that enabled a series of creative learning opportunities.
A series of curated Digital Storytelling Social Mixers, including a session for First Nations creatives, created space for storytelling across disciplines and formats, bringing together diverse voices and perspectives. This was complemented by targeted workshops and staff-led sessions that supported the development of practical skills, including creative label making for small businesses.
The program also extended into precinct activation, with a screen -printing workshop delivered as part of the 2025 City North Shared Futures Festival. Following strong participation, this activity will continue in 2026, including at the Clunes Screen Printing Studio.
Key Project Activities, Milestones & Deliverables
The Project focused on building digital skills across the City North community, including RMIT staff and students, local residents and other City North Activation Challenge Project participants. In total, it delivered eight formal events, three Makerspace workshops and ten informal workshops, mixers and support sessions.
The studio operated from mid-September to December 2025, with Adobe Coaches available for drop ins, bookings and facilitated workshops. Formal events ran from late October to December, alongside ongoing informal sessions throughout the three-month activation period.
Project Impact
The Project reached 275 people through direct engagement in skills workshops, public talks, staff commissioned sessions and Adobe Coach mentoring.
Six other 2025 City North Activation Challenge Projects were also supported through informal workshops, mentoring sessions and a curated series of public showcase events.
From mid-September to mid-December the RMIT Makerspace operated daily, with Adobe Coaches delivering 16 mentoring sessions, including both pre-booked and drop-in participation.
Together, these activities demonstrate how the studio can function as an open, supportive environment for building digital capability and fostering creative exploration across the City North community.
Future Planning
The Project set out to upskill and connect City North participants and projects. Over time, the focus evolved toward curating and producing networking activities that expanded understandings of digital storytelling, introduced the RMIT community to First Nations digital storytellers, and showcased City North Activation projects to a wider audience.
This led to the creation of the ‘Storytelling in All its Guises’ series, bringing together First Nations artists, RMIT creatives and project leads. These events generated strong engagement and interest, with many participants returning to take part in subsequent skills workshops. The screen-printing workshop at the 2025 City North Shared Futures Festival was particularly well received.
The Project demonstrates the potential of a flexible model for building digital capability across diverse audiences, including community groups, industry partners, creative practitioners and students. By combining hands on skills development with curated storytelling events, it provides an accessible pathway for participants to experiment with creative tools and build confidence in digital expression.
Building on this momentum, RMIT Library plans to continue the storytelling series to engage a broader and more diverse audience over time. More broadly, the Project highlights the value of an accessible, place-based digital hub where people can come together to learn, share and explore new forms of creative practice.
“During the screen-printing workshop at the City North Shared Futures Festival, we surveyed participants. 97% said they learnt new digital skills, all of them learnt new analogue skills and 100% of them had fun!”
Assoc. Prof. Clare Dyson and Adriene Rodriguez, Project Leads — Digital Storytelling Studio
Acknowledgements
Dr Nicola St John, Solid Lines, Amy Spiers, Prof Bernardo Figueiredo, Dr Sarah Barns, Enoki (Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta), Lynda Roberts, James Howard, A/Prof Darrin Verhagen, Dr Rebecca Najdowski.