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Story For All Projects

At Story For All, our goal is to expose disenfranchised communities to the power of oral history for the purpose of healing, building skills, elevating an authentic narrative, and ultimately transforming communities and systems through policy reform. We do this by training community members in oral history methodology, then supporting them in recording, archiving, and reflecting on their own communities’ stories and wisdom through art, dialogue, policy recommendations, and public presentations. Our process was designed with the understanding that the sharing of stories through oral history has multiple beneficial impacts, especially for historically marginalized communities whose stories, values, and cultures have been subsumed by the often-negative narratives promoted by the dominant culture. As stories have been weaponized to use against such communities, our narrative change approach is literally a method for individuals and communities to take back their story, as well as their culture. Additionally, by supporting communities in documenting their own stories, we create a culture of storytellers, like the griots of West Africa. Instead of the stories and wisdom being extracted from the community, they reside within the hearts and minds of present and future community leaders.  For full story click here.

Nurses’ quarters at Forbes Hospital

On one of our regular walks up Hospital Hill recently we noticed the auction/for sale sign on Ford House the old nurses quarters and latterly part of the local health service.  I started to tell Ollie about Ken Ford, a family friend of my grandfather after whom the residence was named.  It also occurred to me that not many people would know of Ken Ford and indeed many of the others whose names have been gifted to other parks and places in Forbes. For full story click here.

Oral History of Dublin Food

The brief was to follow the journey of food from the Docklands, to the market, to the table – to gather stories, recipes, and oral histories.  Over nine months, the trio met with community groups, and fine-tuned the project with interviews and events.  The Docklands is synonymous with Dublin’s food heritage, said Declan Byrne, who worked as a docker from 1972 to 2000.  For full story click here.

Soviet Jews who migrated to USA

Practicing Judaism was prohibited in the Soviet Union and Jews were discriminated against for work and education, leading many to leave the country.  Sean Martin, associate curator for Jewish History at the Cleveland History Center said the immigrants’ archive was an important addition to other archives they have on Cleveland-area Jews who led initiatives to help Soviet Jews relocate.  Read full article and go to link with interviews here.

USA veterans remembered

With Memorial Day in the U.S. right around the corner, we’re bringing you a glimpse into a handful of oral history projects focused on collecting and preserving the memories of military veterans. Check them out, and mention your favorite projects in the comments. For full article click here.

 

“Australian Lives: An Intimate History” book launched

A new book Australian Lives: An Intimate History by Anisa Puri and Alistair Thomson (Monash University Press) $39.95  provides glimpses of Australian lives from the 1920s to the 1980s. Culled from 1500 hours of oral history interviews, the ebook will link each story to the National Library of Australia's online collection so readers can listen to the story direct.  See full story here.

Indigenous Americans’ Oral Histories

Take a walk through downtown Asheville and you’re bound to run across some symbol or image of Western North Carolina’s mountain heritage. From stores peddling traditional crafts to the overalls-clad busker with banjo in hand, the history of the Southern Appalachians still looms large in the region’s identity and the way it portrays itself to visitors.  Seeking to preserve the region’s history and traditional culture, local organizations and researchers are working to document the lives and wisdom of WNC’s elders, believing that this provides invaluable context for the area’s present and future.  For full story click here.

Oral History in History Lessons

Working with oral histories in schools has become very popular in Germany, the United States and many other countries. Eyewitnesses of the past are able to deliver authentic accounts of events in their lives which affect students more deeply than written texts. Furthermore, teachers hope that working with eyewitnesses encourages students to work like historians and, for example, to critically question their sources. But there is also criticism of this method. On the one hand, memory is a reconstructive process which can be influenced by many factors. On the other hand, the aura and authenticity of the eyewitnesses can result in an uncritical acceptance of their accounts. For full article click here.