MJFC Storytelling Project Summary

Elizabeth Nanas, crew member and organizational consultant, may be asking you to participate in a Mary Jane’s Friends & Co. (MJFC) storytelling and marketing project. Details about the project are summarized below. Please be aware that you are not required to participate in this project. You are welcome and encouraged to ask Elizabeth for more details about her aims and methods at any time. You may read about her background, training, and work on her website http://talkingseeds.com/

What the project is about

The purpose of this project is to collect quotes about your interests and your experience with Mary Jane’s Friends & Co. (MJFC) to create statements, stories, and marketing materials for publication online, in newspaper print, podcasts, and any other relevant media format.

What Elizabeth will ask you to do

Elizabeth will engage you in conversation and ask you for permission to write down your responses to her questions. You do not have to give her your consent. If you provide an affirmative consent, you may still end your participation at any time. She will not write down what you say unless she has explicitly asked you for consent and after you have provided it.

Examples of questions she may ask include: 

  • Why did you apply to work here?

  • What’s the most exciting thing about working here?

  • What are you looking to gain from this work experience?

  • What’s an ideal day working at MJFC?

  • What kind of person likes working this job?

  • What keeps you working here?

  • Is this a welcoming place to work? For who? Why?

Risks and discomforts

We do not anticipate any legal, physical, social, or economic risks to participation. If you are concerned about risk or discomfort in conversation with Elizabeth, please remember you are welcome to decline participation.

Benefits and Incentives

There are no personal benefits or incentives (example: compensation) to participate in this storytelling project. Elizabeth will ask for consent and engage you in conversation during breaks or while working on crew.  

Audio/Video Recording

There will be no audio or video recording while Elizabeth collects your stories about working for MJFC.

Privacy/Confidentiality/Data Security

We anticipate that your participation in this project presents no greater risk than everyday conversation while working on crew.

Your confidentiality will be kept private unless you prefer to have your identity attached to your statements. If you do not want to be identified, Elizabeth will mask your identity in any notes or statements shared with the owners of MJFC.

Taking part is voluntary

Participant involvement is voluntary. You may refuse to participate before the study begins, discontinue at any time, or skip any questions that make you feel uncomfortable, with no penalty to you.

Follow up projects

We may contact you again to request your participation in a follow up project. As always, your participation will be voluntary, and we will ask for your explicit consent to participate in any of the follow up activities. 

If you have questions

The person conducting this project is Elizabeth Nanas, an educator and organizational consultant who has held academic fellowships at Wayne State University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Please ask her any questions you have. If you have questions later, you may contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@talkingseeds.com, elizabeth.nanas@yourtrimmers.com, or at (313) 421-5665. If you have any questions or concerns you are not comfortable asking Elizabeth about, please contact Sasha, Krys, RJ, or Caley for confidential discussion.