“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” said Claudia Körbler, an international development specialist for the United Nations (UN), YouTube host of “Global Storytelling for Global Development,” TEDx speaker and Forbes expert contributor.
Körbler said that global development, growth and communications take time, but she sprinted head-first into the industry passionate about making a difference. Although she has been involved in various organizations such as the UN, World Bank Group and Embassy of Austria, Körbler has begun her own journey. She now hosts a global storytelling platform on YouTube called “Global Storytelling for Global Development” that encourages audiences around the globe to utilize storytelling as a tool to create a social impact.
When starting her storytelling platform, Körbler asked herself: “How am I making a difference, and what am I leaving as my legacy?” From there, she asked: “How am I leaving my legacy by using my skills of languages, communications and policy development?”
“I needed to create something that combined the two — my global skills and my passions — to inspire people to use storytelling for social impact,” Körbler said. “I then want to grow this interaction through public speaking.”
Not only does Körbler hope to make a difference within global communications through international storytelling, but also she hopes to gain engagement globally, especially in the United States.
“Domestic development in the U.S. is not where it needs to be,” Körbler said. “Global developmental issues are huge; and from what we are experiencing, we need to get more people involved.”
Körbler’s personal project goal was to, by age 35, begin something that utilized her ever-growing international skills in communications and her passions. Currently 33 years of age, she already has found the avenue of storytelling to be her tool of inspiration.
“I did not just want to start something without knowing exactly how I wanted it. I wanted it to be driven,” she mused.
It began with the idea of the “United Nations of I,” she said. While working for the UN and the World Bank Group, Körbler spoke to many people of youth in developing nations. She realized the same question came time and time again: “How do I even begin to get involved?” Körbler explained that most of this work revolved around the 17 sustainable goals of the U, where she directed youth how to get involved for one specific sustainable goal.
“The saying ‘United Nations of I’ was termed after this active youth ambassador program,” Körbler said.
If the kids were passionate about one of the 17 sustainable goals, they were given specifics on what they could do to help.
“After this engagement, if they didn’t work for an international group, we advised them to make their own ‘United Nations of I,’ where we gave them the tools to get involved outside of actually working for a global organization like the UN,” Körbler said.
“The whole interaction was about understanding clear communication, how to rally fundraising, and to get people excited,” Körbler remarked. “We found that the best way to do this is by creating story and narrative, which then creates an impact on others. We need to help people understand that they can be their own global impact agent by sharing their stories. We can share, but it is not done enough.”
Körbler uses her breakthrough to create and launch her storytelling platform on YouTube. Since the launch, the platform has gained 50,000 views mainly from Africa, Asia and the U.S.
