Co-founded by Colum McCann and Lisa Consiglio, Narrative 4 is a nonprofit organization that strives to build empathy by allowing people to step into someone else's story. Out of more than 80 Narrative 4 ambassadors, Duncan was one of eight to fly to New York for the exchange and work with the 16 participants.
At this story exchange, there were participants who had been directly impacted by gun violence and others who felt their gun had at times protected them from further harm. Those who advocated for stricter gun control laws were paired with those who wanted to keep their right to bear arms. They then told each other their stories.
After listening, participants then told their partner's story to the larger group. However, instead of saying "he" or "she," they told the story in first person as if the experiences were their own. New York Magazine published an article about the event with an accompanying documentary, "Guns and Empathy," in its year-end issue.
"It was an incredibly powerful experience," Duncan says. "I hope we can work to bring such experiences to our community and beyond."
Last summer, Duncan started a Narrative 4 chapter at Concordia with the help of Micaela Brannan-Gerhardt '17. Since then, Concordia has hosted N4 facilitator training workshops and story exchanges, including one in January about the recent election.