With the goal of giving all Americans the chance to share their stories, StoryCorps travels the country inviting people into a traveling recording studio in pairs to record a conversation. Interviews are archived to capture a snapshot of history.
StoryCorp's mission "is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives.”
Two people, an interviewer and an interviewee, are invited to share their stories at the various StoryCorps recording facilities: traveling booths, permanent recording studios, mail-in StoryKit packages, or door-to-door services. For forty minutes, accompanied by a trained StoryCorps staff member, the two people talk about stories, memories, or questions, sharing experiences and wisdom with each other. After the forty minutes, two CDs are burned, one for the participants and one for the American Folklife Center’s collection for the Oral History of America project at the Library of Congress.
To date, the project has captured and preserved over 30,000 interviews with twice as many participants. StoryCorps has numerous projects to reach out to specific populations, including underprivileged or under-represented groups. Some of these initiatives include the National Teachers Initiative, gathering stories from educators; StoryCorps Legacy, collecting remembrances from people with life-threatening illnesses; and The Griot Initiative, reaching out to the African American community.
Says StoryCorps, “We do this to remind one another of our shared humanity, strengthen and build the connections between people, teach the value of listening, and weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that every life matters. At the same time, we will create an invaluable archive of American voices and wisdom for future generations.”
Post new comment