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By: Jan Cartwright, Colorado Tuesday Group

Jan Cartwright is a communications professional who previously worked at USAID, most recently as an institutional support contractor in USAID’s Management Bureau Office of Acquisition and Assistance. She now works with the State of Colorado’s Medicaid program as a change management communications specialist.

Stories are how we understand the world. Telling USAID’s story should have been easy but was always frustratingly difficult—both due to legislative restrictions (Smith-Mundt Act) and to limitations on who could tell that story publicly. With the shuttering of the Agency, those restrictions evaporated—and telling USAID’s story became critically important to help the public understand the scope and impact of the Agency’s destruction. 

I first watched Rovina’s Choice last fall when the film was released. While the film itself is short, it is emotionally crushing. If you haven’t seen it, find a time when you can be alone or with a supportive friend and a box of tissues. It chronicles the impact of USAID’s shutdown by following the story of a Sudanese mother in Kenya. The story brings into sharp and devastating focus the real-world consequences of the abrupt DOGE-led cuts to aid (documented and verified facts that Elon Musk denies to this day). 

After watching the film, I wanted others in my community in Colorado to see it. I wanted my neighbors and friends to understand why USAID’s work mattered. The town where I live—Boulder—is a rising hub for film, having just been named the new home of the Sundance Film Festival. I knew that Rovina’s Choice had been nominated for Academy awards, and I thought: what if I could get these film buffs to watch this film and understand what happened?

I approached our local independent film theater but they declined. They recommended instead to ask our public library, which has a theater and screen to show films. As luck would have it, the library hosts a summer documentary series, so it was a natural fit that they welcomed through their series Docs After Dark.

As the film was only 20 minutes long, the library wanted more film time for their series. I asked around for a film that would be a compelling counterpart to Rovina’s Choice, that would hold its own in terms of quality and would complement the storyline. A colleague recommended the movie Heist, and it was a perfect pairing, telling the story of the federal workers who have borne the brunt of the administration’s efforts to “[put them] in trauma.” Adding another 40 minutes to the screening, the two films made a strong hourlong narrative package. 

Here in Colorado, we are fortunate to have a wealth of talent from former USAID employees and implementing partner staff. Over 350 people strong, our Tuesday Group (and its separate but related advocacy arm, the Colorado Alliance for Public Service) meets nearly every week to support each other in our job search. The group stepped up to continue planning the event and the panel discussion. We considered bringing in high-level voices (even virtually) who could speak to the messages of the films, but eventually decided on telling our own local stories instead. As they say, people will argue with facts but they can’t argue with your own story. Four insightful and inspiring members of our group—Stephanie Altman, Andrea Cristancho, and Ryan Ubuntu Olson, and Cindy Huang—offered to serve as panelists and moderator.

The event drew over 60 people and sparked a lively conversation during the Q&A. We received comments, questions, and reflections from others in the community who had served overseas and from youth who were inspired by the stories they heard and wanted to know how they could choose a similar path of service. 

Here’s a playbook for what worked for us: 

1. Consider the films you are pitching and tailor the selection based on your community. Rovina’s Choice and Heist are both available for free online and are a great pairing. Heist has a more overt political slant than Rovina’s Choice. Determine what feels like the right fit for your community and your participants.
2. Write a “pitch” email to your venue(s) of choice. Keep the pitch short and be persistent. Borrow ours if you want!
3. Once your venue is confirmed, discuss details: What time will the event start and end? Can you have virtual participants? Will there be mics? Will there be chairs for panelists? How will the films be projected?
4. Assemble your panel and moderator. As with all panels, consider a balance in lived experience. Draft emails to invite the panelists. Borrow ours if you want!
5. Create promotional materials (one or two social media graphics) and post about the event in local online calendars. Share the event with local organizations and networks that may have overlapping interests. Ask the venue about their own marketing/publicity plans.
6. Keep your panelists/moderators updated on the event, and share a run of show, draft questions, and talking points so you’re all on the same page. Borrow ours if you want!
7. Create a slide(s) to display before the films and potentially during the panel discussion. Borrow ours if you want!
8. Hand out buttons at your event. Not everyone will be a panelist but many of us have stories. We can tell those stories even after the event is over. Borrow ours if you want!

As we gathered after the event, we realized that telling our story was also a form of collective healing and catharsis, especially coming after the emotional one-year anniversary on July 1 of the shuttering of USAID. 

We were also reminded that storytelling is one of our most powerful tools for advocacy. Every conversation has the potential to deepen understanding, challenge misconceptions, and inspire action. If our stories changed even one mind, we moved one step closer to rebuilding support for the people, programs, and values we believe in.

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